Epitaph of Blades
by nanaya88
Summary: When Atoli vanishes from The World, Haseo and a party of friends search for her, never suspecting that they would wind up trapped in a game where the slightest mistake could be fatal. When Kirito and Asuna meet a demonic presence on the 76th floor of Aincrad, no one could have guessed that the world of SAO would change forever. Spoilers for both stories. Rated T, possibly M later.
1. Chapter 1: Fated Encounter

***Neither Sword Art Online or .Hack or any of its characters belong to me. This is simply a fan-fic using the characters and settings of both series for the enjoyment of fans of those works.**

**Chapter 1: Fated Encounter**

_November 2024, Aincrad 22__nd__ floor, Kirito_

Even though it was already 11, I remained in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to make sense of yesterday's events. Although the 75th floor had been cleared, the cost was significant; over a dozen clearers, wiped out in this game of death. Even taking into account that it was a milestone boss, the casualty list should not have been that high. But even more difficult to accept was what had transpired after the boss had been defeated.

Immediately after the battle, I had noticed something odd about one man who had fought alongside us. Wielder of the unique skill [Holy Sword] and the leader of the strongest guild in [Sword Art Online], [Knights of Blood], it would not have been wrong to say that our victory had hinged upon Heathcliff's efforts. But the look in his eyes as he looked down upon us, tired out from the long battle, had triggered my suspicion. In a moment of clarity and, taking the risk that I would be branded a renegade, I had attacked him. He, whose life bar hovered just above 50%. Just outside the yellow zone. "No one had ever seen his life go into the yellow." That was one of the many legends circulating around SAO about this man.

Just as my blade struck home however, they were stopped, and a system message popped up. [Immortal Object]. A code built into the system to protect essential objects such as buildings from being destroyed. Not something mere players such as us should possess. Thus, the "paladin" Heathcliff was revealed as none other than Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO. Our jailor in this death game for the past two years.

I recalled his parting words before he left us there on the 75th floor. How could I not?

"I will await your arrival at the [Scarlet Jade Castle] on the final floor…" There had been more as well, but the line that truly caught my attention was: "Kirito, since you figured out my true identity, I will reward you with an opportunity: you can have a one-on-one duel with me, right here and right now. If you win, the game will be cleared immediately, and all the players will be able to log out…is what I would have liked to say. But it seems that there has been an anomaly within the system that requires my immediate attention, so I must pass and meet you as planned on the 100th floor."

A chance to have cleared the game on the 75th floor…I wonder what the result would have been had I accepted. Would I have been able to defeat not just Heathcliff, but _Kayaba Akihiko_ himself? Would I have been able to save Asuna, Klein, and all the others who have fought alongside me in this game of death for the past two years?

My thoughts were interrupted by the notification that I had received a message. I was tempted to ignore it for now, but a quick glance at the sender's name made that impossible. A letter from Asuna, Vice-Commander of the Knights of Blood. Asuna [the Flash], who had earned her nickname for the ungodly speed of her rapier strikes. Or more simply, Asuna, my in-game wife and the person most dear to me; the one for whom I wanted to clear the game as quickly as possible.

The content of the message was simple:

"_Kirito, I'm headed to the labyrinth on the 76__th__ floor. KoB, or rather, those of us who remain, are determined to see this through to the end. I wanted to wake you up, since your presence is a comfort in more ways than one, but your sleeping face was just too captivating for me to do so. –Asuna"_

That got me out of bed quickly. I tossed on my combat gear (which in-game only required scrolling through a few menus) and ran out the front door.

* * *

_Haseo_

"Happy Birthday Haseo!"

I was blinded by flying ribbons flying towards my face the moment I walked through the front door into the guild house. [Canard] was originally a small guild, never totaling more than five members. The guild [ HOME] had been expanded considerably since the early days, but today, it seemed as if everyone I've ever met in this online game, [The World: R2], was here. Piros the Third took up a massive amount of space by himself due to that ridiculous bulky golden armor. There wasn't much room to move around.

"Wha—why are you all?" I couldn't contain the surprise in my voice. "How'd you even find out that today's my—?"

A small pig-like creature with hair and an outfit that looked similar to how I was back at level 1 walked up to me. "Aw, just chill out, oink. Your hair's going to go gray if you're so wound up all the time, oink." And, after taking a swig from what appeared to be a martini glass, it added, "You should be more like me, oink!"

I could feel a vein throbbing in my forehead. This…creature, Death Grunty, was possibly programmed with the most annoying personality seen in [The World: R2] _ever!_ Atoli, whenever she was here with me, would gush over how cute the deceptive little motor-mouth was and comment on how similar the two of us were. _Me? _Similar to _that!?_ Speaking of which—

"I don't see Atoli anywhere," I noted.

"She said something about wanting to get you a present and went out with Silabus and Gaspard this morning," Kuhn said as he lounged on the couch.

Kuhn was one of my most trusted allies within the game and, with the exception of Ovan, he was probably the best [Steam Gunner] I've ever met. His avatar had long blue hair tied back into a ponytail and he wore a get-up that looked rather tribal, with a leather shirt and plenty of furs. Kuhn also happened to possess the Avatar [Magus, The Propagation], a powerful entity linked to the game which afforded Avatar users unique and game-breaking powers.

There were eight Avatars in all, each of them with powers to bend the rules of [The World]. Interestingly enough, almost all of them were gathered here today. Kuhn, who I've already mentioned, was currently flirting with every girl present in the room and failing (he would probably have had better luck if he tried one at a time.) Then there was Yata, holder of [Fidchell, The Prophet], Pi, who had [Tarvos, The Avenger], Endrance, linked to [Macha, The Temptress], and Sakubo, wielder of [Gorre, The Machinator]. The only two Avatar users who were absent from Canard's base at the moment were Atoli and Ovan, who possessed [Innis, The Mirage of Deceit] and [Corbenik, The Rebirth], respectively. As for the eighth Avatar, that was the one I possessed.

Thinking about Ovan inevitably made me think on events that had occurred recently. A long story short, he had hatched a convoluted plan that involved me fighting and using [Data Drain] to absorb the essence of the other Avatars so that he could reset The World and possibly free his little sister from a coma she had fallen into due to [AIDA], a virus or bug within this game which was capable of affecting the real world. In the end, his plan worked, but also freed [Cubia], a nigh-invulnerable monster that threatened not only this online game, but everything else in the real world that was connected to a network.

I don't know what happened to Ovan after [Cubia] was defeated. I'd heard rumors that the real life person who was Ovan in this world had died, but I'd like to think that my old mentor and friend managed to find some form of closure even after all that he'd put me through. And on some days, I get the feeling that he's still watching us grow, from somewhere out there in [The World].

"Yo, Haseo! This is your party, we can't have the guest of honor moping around like he lost a major arena fight!"

A hard pat on the back followed by someone jumping on and wrapping their arms around my neck threw me off-balance and into a table. Luckily, I didn't knock anything or anyone over. A moment later, I managed to free myself and turn around and face the speaker.

"Alkaid! When'd you get here?" I asked. "It's nice to see you again."

She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a piercing look, "I've been here the whole time. Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"

Alkaid was one of the people I most admired within [The World]. Despite not possessing an Avatar, she was still one of the strongest players I know in the game, doing more than her share in the final battle against [Cubia]. She was of the [Twin Blade] class and it was really something to see her when she was fighting. Her in-game appearance was about what you'd expect of someone who role-played as a strong warrior: She had on an outfit that could be described as an anime-depiction of a kunoichi, or female ninja, and a large, open fan strapped to the back of her top as a decorative piece. Her blazing red hair was a hint to the fire in her personality. She also happened to be very cute when one manages to catch her off-guard, which is why I try to do that as much as possible. Don't let her know that though, because she'd probably refuse to help as my arena partner for a month afterwards if she found out.

I was saved from having to answer by the door bursting open and Gaspard and Silabus running in, completely out of breath. They almost bowled over a couple of guests in their haste which wouldn't have been surprising for Gaspard, but was out of character for Silabus.

"Haseo! Haseo! Something terrible has happened!" Gaspard cried out.

"Calm down," I said. "And where's Atoli? I thought she was with you."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," he said as he gasped for breath. "We were out in the field when the map started to glitch out. You know, like back when [AIDA] was around and corrupted the server?"

"Go on," I replied, feeling a chill run down my spine. Whenever [AIDA] was involved, there was no such thing as good news.

"Well, Atoli said for us to stay back…and told us not to worry because she had some sort of protection against it," Gaspard continued before bursting into tears.

I patted him on the back, trying to calm him down, but the tears just kept flowing. In the end, it was up to Silabus to fill us in on the details.

"Well, I'm not really sure what happened, but the background of the zone we were in started to get really shaky. There was this—I can't really describe it, but it just felt—wrong. Well, that feeling expanded around Atoli when she went to take a look and she just…disappeared," Silabus finished.

"What do you mean, disappeared?" I asked, unable to believe it. After all that we've been through. After dealing with the Avatars, [AIDA], and [Cubia], I just couldn't believe that [The World] was still unsafe.

"She just vanished without a trace. And then the feeling of uneasiness I had faded away a little," Silabus said. "I wanted to follow after her, but we needed to let someone…let you know first, Haseo."

I immediately stood up and asked, "What was the keyword for the map you were on?"

I intended to go rescue her immediately, everything else could wait. The party, the celebration, [The World], none of it was as important as this.

"Δ Sword Heart Hope," he answered. "You aren't planning on—?"

"Damn right I am," I replied. "Atoli means a lot to me. Also, I can't rest easy knowing that something related to [AIDA] might be returning."

Most of the party guests immediately clamored about coming with me. However, parties in this game are limited to three people and I didn't really want to risk anyone else falling into whatever trouble had befallen Atoli, so I politely refused. Of course, that only made them more insistent.

"Look, you guys," I explained. "We can't have half the Avatar users go missing in one day in case this really _is_ related to [AIDA] and [Cubia] since only you guys can deal with it." A few months ago, Yata and Pi would have given me a whole load of bull about talking about Avatars outside of the circle of Avatar users, but after the [Cubia] incident, almost all my friends were already in the know about the whole thing. "You can't come along, alright?"

They grumbled about it, but eventually conceded that I was right. Unfortunately, I completely failed to persuade several other players from insisting.

"I'm coming with you. I'm not an Avatar user, so staying behind to protect [The World] isn't an issue for me," a certain battle-crazed, red-haired girl demanded.

"You're insane if you think I'm going to bring you along," I replied to Alkaid. "Not having an Avatar makes it even worse! Don't you remember what happened the last time you came in contact with [AIDA]?"

She gave me a level look and replied with a hint of a smirk, "No, because I was in a coma after that. I know the risks and I'm still coming whether you want or not. Atoli's important to me too, as a friend."

I thought I heard her quietly add "as a rival" after that, but my mind was preoccupied and I must have imagined it. More importantly, Alkaid was the type to follow me even if I tried to stop her. Investigating on her own was what got her into trouble with [AIDA] in the past and how she had ended up in a coma. I sighed, no way around it; if it came down to that, I could probably protect her better if we were partied.

"Fine, you can come along," I relented. "But if I tell you to stay back, stay back, alright?"

"Psh, you're always so reckless when it comes to Atoli," she replied. "I'll watch your back and you watch mine. Arena rules, alright?"

I had to smile a little at that, but that was cut short with Silabus interrupting.

"I'm coming along too," he said. "I'm at least partly responsible for all this and even if you say no, I'll follow behind as a solo."

"What the? Silabus, who the hell did you learn to use that argument against me from?"

It really was surprising since Silabus was never the type to make demands. And aside from one incident where PKing was suddenly allowed in the major cities, I'd never seen him so determined before. Just seeing his expression made me want to take him along.

Silabus pointed at Death Grunty. For his part, that little rodent suddenly started whistling innocently, staring at the ceiling as if he were inside the Sistine Chapel.

I pointed a finger at the little runt. "You'd better hope I'm not in the mood for bacon when I get back," I growled.

-o-

The field looked peaceful enough, the kind that Atoli seemed to love the most. Walking on the flowing grass made me remember a conversation the two of us once had about [The World]. Back then, I had been a bit of a revenge-obsessed jerk to everyone, desperate to catch Tri-Edge and beat him to a pulp in an effort to save a friend. To the _me_ of back then, Atoli's cheerfulness and love of everything in [The World] had been irritating. I regret it now, especially since she was right in some ways, but I had reprimanded her on that day, declaring that everything we saw in the field was nothing but "packets of data."

It really was a beautiful scene. Grassy hills and flowing rivers. But most impressive of all was the background. I never really paid much attention to the story behind [The World], but apparently it involved some war of the gods. Many of the backgrounds in the fields had large ruins or other impressive structures that supposedly dated from that war. The background here was different. There was a massive castle floating in the sky, beyond reach. It was layered, like a cake, and at a first glance, it must have had about a hundred floors. The part of me that came to love [The World] marveled at the sight. The part of me that remained a cynic argued back with "what a waste of processing power."

"Alright Silabus, lead the way to where you guys were when it happened," I said.

He nodded and began walking ahead of me. Silabus' class was [Blade Brandier], a fairly balanced class that wielded a single katana-like sword. It was a class with few weaknesses and few strengths. His appearance was…how to put it…kind of how I would have imagined Robin Hood to look like, actually. Greens and tans made up the majority of his outfit, and he had short hair aside from the curled ponytail that hung to his waist. Nothing about him really stood out, unless you counted his overly nice personality which, incidentally, wasn't an act at all.

I checked my inventory as I followed behind. [AIDA] infected areas were strange places. Strange, but always dangerous. Stocking up on healing items and revival items was a must, since failing to use them when needed could result in the player falling into a coma; I wish we had a [Harvest Cleric] in the party to take care of healing, but ironically, Atoli usually took on that role.

Zelkova had been extremely helpful in helping us prepare. Contrary to his boyish appearance, he was the leader of one of the largest guilds in the game, [Moon Tree] and had access to a plethora of rare items. Thanks to him, all three of us were stocked up on full revives and other helpful items. In addition, I suspect that Zelkova, who was actually one of the most prominent hackers within the game, had altered our character data somewhat in an effort to protect us on this journey. I doubt I would need it for myself, but for the two non-Avatar users in the party, it might just save their lives.

"We're here," Silabus announced, calling a halt.

Immediately, I could see why he had described the area as giving off a sense of wrongness earlier. I could feel it too. The air felt charged with electricity and it occasionally warped, twisting about and distorting what could be seen.

"Stand back," I told the other two. "I'm going to try to data drain it."

The members of my party nodded and followed my orders. I focused on my willpower on calling out my Avatar, a process that seemed to get easier the more I called upon it.

"Come on, come on, come on," I muttered. "I'm—Right—Here!"

In answer to my summons, my Avatar, [Skeith], came forth and the two of us merged. I can't really describe the feeling too well, but [Skeith] has a personality unto itself. When the two of us become one, it takes a lot of control to not lose myself in that mass of rage. I'd like to think that I'm in control whenever this happens, but the truth is, sometimes I'm not even sure which of us is who whenever I call [Skeith] out. Time seemed to freeze, as it always does when an Avatar makes its presence known; normal players are unable to see Avatars at all and battles involving Avatars which take minutes for an Avatar user only last a split-second from the perspectives of normal players.

Thinking back on it now, I'm not entirely sure why I decided to use [Data Drain] on the anomaly instead of hacking into it with one of Zelkova's programs. I suppose that it was partly because that twist in space gave me a foreboding sense of dread. Whatever the cause, the effect was immediate.

The entire map twisted about, sky and ground spinning about until they blurred together. It was almost enough to overwhelm my sense of sight and I was about to close my eyes when everything just…shattered. Silabus, Alkaid, and I plunged into the depths of darkness, but that too, did not last long. Seconds later, we landed on something hard and, as my sight adjusted to the dim lighting, I saw that we were lying down on a stone tiled floor. Ominous blue flames shot up along the sides of the room and a menacing growl made us turn about.

There before us stood a massive beast. Golden eyes, massive horns atop its head, and wielding the biggest axe I've ever seen up close, it was a minotaur. A heavily armed minotaur that obviously did not like the presence of three very startled intruders in its lair. A name appeared above it, [The Rock Reaver]. Clearly a boss battle. I reached out and tried to summon my dual pistols, weapons that were granted to me by the hacked fourth form, [Xth form], that Zelkova had been forced to program into my character in order to save my life.

They didn't materialize. It was then that I realized what had happened. Spiked armor, black as death, my armor appeared unquestionably demonic. Somehow, I had been returned to the form I gained after my second job advancement.

A battlecry drew my attention back to the situation at hand. Alkaid had charged the monster and was going toe-to-toe with it, dodging the monster's attacks gracefully and returning the favor. The four bars of health that I saw next to the monster slowly decreased, a feature that was not present within [The World]. However, aside from this novelty, something else seemed strange. My instincts as a gamer told me that we should pull back for now. And moments later, I learned why. In [The World], players and creatures under fire from skills and attacks were stunned for as long as they were getting hit. This didn't seem to be the case here, as the creature simply raised an armored gauntlet and backhanded Alkaid across the room.

"Alkaid!" I shouted as I ran towards her. Her health bar (when did that appear?) had decreased halfway in that one hit, something again, that was rare in [The World] considering her high level.

A shout of pain stopped me before I could even get close to her. Taking advantage of the distraction Alkaid had provided, Silabus had snuck up behind the boss and unloaded a swift combo to its back. The boss' health decreased further, but still had around three bars of health remaining. Infuriated, the boss swung its weapon about in a whirlwind of steel, dealing two blows to Silabus from two different directions nearly simultaneously. He managed to block the first, but apparently the force was too great and knocked his thin blade aside. The second strike hit him full-on and sent him skidding across the floor where he lay prone. Even from here, I could see his health bar; at roughly 15%, he was in the red.

My party was split into two, Alkaid on one side, Silabus on the other. I myself was in the center of the room. No matter how you look at it, this was a desperate situation.

"Use a healing item!" I shouted at the two of them. Alkaid nodded and did so, if a little shakily. Silabus, however, wasn't moving.

_Damn it!_ I thought. _What the hell is going on?_

I no longer had [Xth form], but I was in my third form. That meant that, as an [Adept Rogue], I should still be capable of using three weapons to fight. In order to match that ridiculously oversized axe…I supposed the broadsword would be best. I materialized the weapon I wanted without any trouble and rushed at the enemy, dragging my blade behind me before swinging it in a diagonal arc across the monster's chest.

[The Rock Reaver] screamed in pain, an unearthly sound, and leapt backwards. From the corner of my eye, I could see Alkaid making her way across the room to Silabus' position. For now, I had the undivided attention of the boss.

The minotaur roared once and charged forwards, swinging its weapon in a smashing, overhead arc. I managed to sidestep the attack, but it swung its free arm at me as I did so, forcing me to block the blow.

_Gah!_ That backhand was ridiculously heavy! The attack bowled me over to the side as if I weighed nothing at all and my broadsword was knocked out of my hand. I coughed once, trying to quickly get air back into my lungs as the monster leapt back and prepared for a second charge. My health had gone down to 75% from that one hit. _This wasn't looking good at all_._ At this rate, we'd be stuck in an endless cycle of trying to heal ourselves up until the boss finally wore us down._

I'd like to say that I didn't once think the words "it could be worse" at this time. But even if I didn't, whatever genius programmed this game obviously had those words in mind, because [The Rock Reaver] roared loudly once more and two smaller minotaurs appeared out of thin air in the room.

This latest development drove me into a corner. Seeing the determined looks on my friends' faces as they faced down this new enemy and, knowing that I was the one responsible for allowing them to come along…there was no helping it.

I closed my eyes and focused.

"[Skeith], if you're still here. I need you now. To protect my friends. To find Atoli. To defeat this enemy. Come on. Come on. Come on," I muttered. "I'm—Right—Here! [SKEEEIIIITTHHH]!"

* * *

_76__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

It has been five days since Heathcliff had been revealed as Kayaba Akihiko. In that short time, the [Knights of Blood] had nearly fallen apart. Most had left for other clearing guilds because the reputation of the KoB had taken a huge hit after the revelation. Amongst the few that remained were Asuna and I. For Asuna, the reason to remain in the guild was personal; she wanted to confront Heathcliff on the final floor as the Vice-Commander of the KoB. As for me, I didn't really care about being in the guild or not, I just wanted to be by Asuna's side. I would protect her and she would protect me, that alone was reason enough to stay.

"We must be getting close to the boss room now," Asuna said to the group of clearers as we rested in a safe area within the labyrinth. Even now, she took it upon herself to organize and plan boss fights.

"I have to agree," I added. "Judging by past patterns in mapping a new level and how quickly we've been exploring this floor, I wouldn't be surprised if we found the door to the boss by this afternoon."

My prediction turned out to be correct, because shortly after lunch (which, for me, was a homemade sandwich from Asuna which I savored every bite of,) we ended up at an extremely ominous looking door. Grey stone worked with carvings of contoured skulls and demonic-looking imagery. It was almost enough to drain the fighting spirit of the clearing team before we even entered.

"Shield-bearers enter first," Asuna commanded as everyone moved into formation. "Stay on your guard. The bosses from now on are only going to get harder and we can't afford casualties."

The two of us exchanged nervous smiles that were loaded with all the words we wanted to say to one another but were too embarrassed to exchange with this many people around as the clearers in the front pushed the door open. The doors creaked open slowly.

It was surprisingly bright within the room, torches blazing yellow-red at the sides of the room. It almost looked as if the room had been cleared already. But there, sitting in the center was a presence that made my blood run cold. Clad in armor that looked as if it had been forged in the depths of hell and wielding a massive scythe, that form was no bigger than a human being; the smallest boss we've seen so far. It had its back turned to us, seemingly oblivious to our presence. Perhaps this was Kayaba Akihiko's way of mocking us, saying "You'll have to fight a human being on the final floor, I might as well give you practice now."

But the appearance wasn't the only thing that was chilling about that figure. There was an indescribable [Aura] around it. A cloud of hatred and rage that transcended words. If Kayaba's goal was to intimidate us, I have to admit that it was working. One of the clearers, letting his fear get the better of him, screamed as he charged forwards, shield raised before him. I silently cursed.

The figure, taking this as an act of aggression, finally turned. I caught sight of those fierce red eyes for the first time then. Red pupils that did not blink shut once as the figure spun his scythe around with one arm and battered the charging man to the side with the back end.

A name appeared above the figure's head. A figure that had the appearance of a boy not too much older than myself. His name?

[_The Terror of Death_]

* * *

*notes: I've actually gotten into SAO only recently, but I have to admit that the story and the characters are really very interesting. As for the .Hack series, I'm sort of a lukewarm fan of them, having played part of the first set of games, watched some of the anime, and beaten all of the G.U. games. I thought about what would happen if the characters in each met up, and this chapter was the result of that ruminating.

This is more of a pilot than anything else…a way to test the waters, as it were. I decided to use characters from the G.U. timeline rather than the others for two reasons. First, because I've actually played through all the games and liked how Haseo had matured thoughout them. Secondly, because I think he and some of the G.U. crew have personalities that would either mesh well or clash with the ideologies and personalities of the SAO crew. Imagine a scenario where a former PKK like Haseo, upon learning what happens when someone dies in-game in SAO, encounters a guild like Laughing Coffin. Yeah, that's a reason why I picked G.U.

As for the scenario proposed here, Kirito never got the chance to beat Heathcliff on the 75th floor, which means that there are still 25 floors to clear. Considering the large number of casualties on the 75th floor, one might think that there won't be many survivors at the top but—remember that the intruders from the .Hack-verse are carrying a large supply of healing/revival items with them—and we know that at least the healing ones work. In order to balance that out, should I continue this story, I'll probably bring back the 10 second rule from the item Kirito had received in the Red-Nosed Reindeer sidestory as well as make Kayaba Arihiko aware of the presence of said items early on.

I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you, and I hope to get some feedback.


	2. Chapter 2: Making Allies

**Chapter 2: Making Allies**

_November 8__th__, 2024, 100__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kayaba Akihiko_

Kayaba Akihiko was rather confused. His game should have been perfect; a closed system in which 10,000 players lived their lives however they chose. And for the past two years, the system _had_ been perfect. What then, could explain the presence of this young girl before him now?

She had short blonde hair and carried a staff, a strange choice of weaponry within SAO, but not unheard of. He looked over her attire: A short green dress top, white stockings, a short cape, and a large, white, round hat, it wasn't anything he remembered programming into SAO. The player before him now—and she _was_ a player as evidenced by the player indicator above her head, she was an anomaly, a system error. An intruder that somehow managed to penetrate the perfect system he had created. He had originally been tempted to just do away with her character, but the programmer within him wanted to know _how_ she had managed to enter this game. The desire to _know_ superseded his desire to maintain a perfect world.

And so, he sat and waited. Waited for this young girl to wake up so that he could get some answers. Ever since his identity had been discovered from Kirito, he knew that time was something he would have an abundance of.

"Well then, what secrets are you hiding behind that innocent face of yours?" Kayaba murmured to himself.

Though he doubted there would be any trouble, he had used his administrator powers to generate an indestructible cage around the girl as a precaution. Once someone entered his world, they should, in theory, be bound by the rules of the system. However, proof that the rules were not quite as absolute as he had first believed was right there in front of him.

Shortly after noon, the girl began to stir. Kayaba, still in his guise as Heathcliff, was there to greet her.

"Welcome to my world," he announced grandly.

It took a moment for the girl to realize her situation, but to her credit, she did not immediately scream or demand to be released.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Kayaba smiled, she certainly had no shortage of courage. After all, anyone brave enough to slip into a game where death meant death in reality had to be extremely courageous, or extremely foolhardy.

"I suppose that it would be reasonable to give you my name if you would be so kind as to return the favor," he answered. "I am Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of this world. Now, what is your name and how did you manage to get here?"

"This world?" the girl muttered, looking around. "This doesn't look like [The World] to me. The game interface looks completely different…where am I? Really?"

"This is the world of [Aincrad]. And you are on the hundredth floor. The 'final dungeon,' so to speak. Now, if you would…your name."

Kayaba Akihiko could have just used his powers as an administrator to get the information he wanted, but he preferred to do things this way. The semblance of formality added a more engaging aspect to an otherwise dull wait for the players to reach the top floor.

"I'm—Atoli," the girl replied hesitantly. "And what do you mean by [Aincrad]? Is this a map or some new event in [The World]?"

"[Aincrad] is the name of this world. A one hundred story castle floating in the sky that makes up the setting of [Sword Art Online]," he answered. "As for what you might mean by an event or a map…is [The World] the name of some MMO?"

"It's—the game I was playing before I somehow ended up here," Atoli answered. "I-I don't know what happened…my memory of coming here is a little fuzzy."

"Well then, I'm sorry to say this," Kayaba remarked. "But until the players in this game clear the final floor, I cannot release you from the game using my administrator clearance. However, I'll give you a choice. You can stay here, safe on the hundredth floor until they arrive, or you can join the players down below and work towards clearing the game."

"Wait—what did you mean by that?" she said, suddenly looking panicked. "Why can't I leave? And the way you said that—are the other players trapped here until they clear the final floor as well?"

Clever girl…if he didn't know any better, he would have suspected that she had experienced something similar in the past.

"That is exactly the case. The original 10,000 players who entered thinking that this was 'just a game' have been in here for the past 2 years. Death in this game is final and players who die here die in real life as well. Currently, there are about 6,000 players left and they have cleared up to the 76th level."

"That's despicable," Atoli said angrily. "How could you do something like that? Taking away two whole years of their lives for something so—and you've killed people with this twisted game of yours as well. What do you have to gain from all this?"

"It is not up to you to question my motives," he replied coldly. Turning his back to her, he continued, "I will give you an hour to decide on what you wish to do. Choose wisely."

That might have been a mistake, because as soon as he started walking away, he heard the girl muttering ominously to herself. Turning around quickly, he felt a wave of fear sweep over him. No, it wasn't quite fear that he felt, but something indescribable that made his hairs stand on end.

"-give you…I won't forgive you…Come! Innis!" the girl screamed loudly.

In an explosion of light, the cage vanished.

_What?_ Kayaba thought. _That's not possible. How did she break through the system's [Immortal Object] protection?_

It turned out he had other things to worry about, because the girl had been replaced with a giant of a creature. Vaguely humanoid in that it had two arms and a head region, the monstrous form had what appeared to be a halo above its head and a large ring with six petal-like protrusions worn on its back. It didn't have legs: Instead, the lower body of the creature looked like the bottom half of a formal dress. Like the girl, the main colors of the creature were white and a bluish-green.

Strangely enough, the player indicator above the creature's head was absent. Although his instincts told him that the being before him was Atoli, at the same time, it wasn't. Concentrating on the being brought up a name: [The Mirage of Deceit]. Interesting…it seemed he had been too hasty in thinking that he would be bored.

The being charged at him wordlessly; clearly intending to slash at him with one of those two blades that seemed to be growing out of its arms. Kayaba almost had to laugh at the straightforwardness of this attack and ran forwards to meet it. [Holy Sword] a unique skill that combined offense and defense. With it, he should be able to counter-attack with little risk to himself. And even if Atoli, or rather, [The Mirage of Deceit], managed to penetrate his guard, he still had the [Immortal Object] code to protect himself.

He raised his shield before him, intending to deflect the blow above his head and strike back, but just as the sword touched his shield, it dissolved into mist, along with the rest of his enemy. Startled by this unexpected turn of events, Kayaba barely managed to line his shield up and block the actual attack which came from his right. He glared at his foe; never had he thought he would need to rely on the system past the normal limits set for players this early in a battle.

"I see…so that's what is meant by [The Mirage of Deceit]. Interesting," Kayaba said, regaining his composure.

He swung sideways with his shield and lunged forwards with his sword only to find that the creature was no longer there. It floated in the center of the room, looking at him passively before firing several orbs from the ring on its back. Kayaba leapt backwards, avoiding most of them, but those projectiles were faster than expected and seemed to track his movements slightly. He was forced to block the tail end of the salvo, gritting his teeth as the barrage chipped his health down to just above the 50% mark. The system message [Immortal Object] popped up as the final blast connected with his shield.

[The Mirage of Deceit] tilted its head as the message faded away; looking almost as if it understood what was going on. It vanished from his sight once more and reappeared at the other end of the room. It crossed its arms atop one another before pointing both hands at Kayaba. The air around him seemed to come alive with static and his field of vision distorted like an old television with poor reception. Whatever [The Mirage of Deceit] intended, Kayaba's intuition told him it was bad news. He readied his shield, prepared to fend off the blow with it and his system-granted god-mode.

His foe charged up what looked like a ghostly orb and fired it at him. Immediately, Kayaba ducked behind his shield and braced himself. The force of the blow was unlike anything he had ever felt within the game before. Even the 75th floor boss he had designed, one capable of instantly killing clearing-level players who weren't prepared, couldn't compared to this. He found himself losing his footing and, a moment later, was flung into the far wall.

He got to his feet, feeling dazed. A quick glance at his life bar shook him to the core. As something protected by the [Immortal Object] code, Heathcliff's life should never fall below 50%; that was a "rule" of his world. It was currently at 20%. Whatever he had been hit with had overridden his administrator's protection. And most likely, that protection was now turned off—meaning he could be killed. Kayaba Akihiko played by same rules he set for his players; if he died, he would die in real life and the players would all be released from this game. He couldn't let that happen just yet. It wasn't yet time.

But he had to face the facts. This wasn't a fight he could win as a [Player Character]. Whatever it was Atoli had done, whatever monstrosity she had changed her player code to become, it wasn't something he could handle without fully relying on his powers as the creator of this world. It seemed as if the first person to get a glimpse of his [Boss Form] wouldn't be the front-liners as he had intended, but this mysterious girl.

* * *

_November 12__th__, 2024, 76__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

The demon in human form made us all pause. Our focus was solely on the figure before us, spiked black armor, wild gray hair, scarlet eyes, and that sinister saw-toothed scythe. As front-liners, most of us were used to battling our own fears in the midst of combat. But, somehow, it was different this time. [The Terror of Death] lived up to his name. This boss gave off the sensation that if you so much as approached him, you would be torn to shreds without remorse. Thankfully, it didn't charge into our ranks because, quite honestly, if it had done so, I think we would have ended up running for our lives.

"Kirito-kun, I'm going in," Asuna said in a determined voice. "Back me up and [Switch] when I call for it, ok?"

"Hang on Asuna," I protested. "It's probably better if one of the shield bearers goes in."

"Well," she said, looking over at the rest of the players present. "I wouldn't feel right if I just stayed back and ordered them forwards. Besides, most of them look petrified."

She was right about that. A good number of the clearers were rooted where they stood. But I felt that there was some other reason why she wanted to go first. She wanted to prove that [Knights of Blood] was still capable of leading at the front even without Heathcliff. To everyone present, but also to herself. Well, if she only wanted to prove that [KoB] was still capable of leading a fight…

"I'll go in first," I said, drawing my dual swords from the scabbards on my back. "I'll be able to react to changes in this boss's patterns a little quicker and your rapier might not be heavy enough to deflect that scythe of his. Remember, he battered a tank-build clearer aside like it was nothing."

"That makes sense," she replied slowly, thinking over what I had said. "But be careful and call for a [Switch] as soon as you can. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Will do," I answered as I rushed in.

I thought I saw faint movement from the top of the stairs leading to the next floor, but it was too late to worry about that. As if in answer to my charge, the boss growled and met my first strike with his own. Under normal circumstances, the brief moment when both combatants were stunned from the impact would have been enough to use [Switch], so I immediately called out to Asuna to do so.

As expected, Asuna, possibly the fastest player in SAO, swiftly made her way to my position like a red and white hurricane. But as she did, something else caught my eye. A red and black blur flew down from the stairs, moving nearly as quickly as Asuna, meeting her halfway. Asuna's progress was stalled and I was left to face the boss on my own. Perhaps due to my weapons being slightly lighter, I recovered a little more quickly than the other boy.

"[Dual Swords Skill, Double Circular]," I intoned as my hands guided my blades into the motion that would cause the system to activate the skill.

[Double Circular] is a two-hit dash-type skill, good for closing the distance between me and my enemy with very little risk. Of course, the distance between the two of us was small, barely three meters after our weapon clash, but I wanted to get in there before he could fully recover. The momentum of the battle was slightly in my favor at the moment and I intended to capitalize on it.

At the moment I finished the motion to start the [Sword Skill], I happened to look more closely at the boy I was facing. Something seemed off and a split second later, I realized what it was. _He had only a single health bar_. Every boss we've faced so far has had more than one. Could the person I was fighting—be a player? It was too late to take back my action though, and as a soft glow enveloped my swords, [Double Circular] activated. With the longer recovery time on his weapon, there was just no way my opponent would be able to block it in time with his scythe.

That was why I was so surprised when the first vertical swing was deflected to the side by a dagger-like blade. Like the scythe, it had a jagged appearance due to the teeth along its edge. Switching weapons mid-combat? I'd never encountered such a [Skill] before. In order to switch weapons in this game, one had to scroll through the in-game menus and switch one's equipment and skills. But that wasn't the biggest shock. What surprised me the most was what happened next.

My second strike, a thrust with the sword in my left hand, was also deflected—by a second dagger, twin to the first. My attack passed over my foe's shoulder, barely nicking the side of his face as it went by. The boy's health bar went down a sliver. [Dual Swords], a unique skill that was supposedly given to the one player with the fastest reaction time in SAO. It seemed that it wasn't so unique after all.

"What?" I exclaimed, unable to believe it.

With almost deliberate slowness, the black figure before me released his grip on the dual daggers, letting them drop. My eyes involuntarily tracked this movement until I realized that he had brought his hands high above his head…where a massive broadsword had formed.

I could feel my eyes widening as the blade descended. Time seemed to slow to a halt for me as it always did when I was in the heat of battle. _Would I be able to bring my swords up in time to block?_ I had to do it. Taking a direct hit from a strike like that might kill me if I wasn't lucky. My arms began to move, bringing my two swords, [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser], up in an "X" pattern to meet the heavier weapon. I instinctively dropped to one knee in order to lower my height and to brace myself for the impact.

With a resounding clang, the broadsword struck my own swords. The force of the impact nearly slammed me into the ground. Clichéd as it may sound, it really might have just been sheer willpower and stubbornness that kept me from getting knocked down. Part of the reason for how heavy the blow seemed was due to the difference in the weight of our weapons. However, my opponent's strength stat must have been ridiculously high as well. The heavy sword had stopped less than 5 cm from the top of my head. To make things worse, a whirring sound drew my attention to the jagged edge of the broadsword. The teeth were moving rapidly, similar to how a chainsaw operates and the effect, which might have been cosmetic, caused sparks to shower down around my head. Realizing that I wouldn't be able to hold up for much longer under such circumstances, I used all of my strength to force his weapon to the side, where it struck the ground next to my left leg. I quickly leapt backwards in order to gain a little breathing room.

As soon as I did, the boy in black armor stopped moving, looking at me with those piercing red eyes. I checked the status of my weapons and nearly dropped them in surprise; their durability had decreased to 80% from that brief encounter. Since [The Terror of Death] seemed like he wasn't about to take the offensive, I turned to see what was going on with Asuna.

She was facing off with another player, a girl with shoulder-length red hair who seemed to be wearing cloth or light armor. The outfit was mostly black and white: I then realized that the reason I saw her as a red and black blur earlier was because most of the white was on the side and back of her outfit. A green player indicator above her head told me that she wasn't an NPC, but what really drew my attention was what she was holding. Two daggers held in reverse-grip. Yet another [Dual Swords] user. _Really, Kayaba Akihiko? What were you thinking when you designed this [Unique Skill]?_

"Asuna! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kirito-kun. But this girl isn't letting us fight that boss. She claims it's a friend of hers," Asuna replied.

"I think she might be right," I said, sheathing my swords after checking to make sure [The Terror of Death] hadn't moved. After a moment's hesistation, Asuna did the same.

With that show of diplomacy, the red-haired girl put away her daggers. However, she didn't sheathe them, they simply dematerialized with a special effect, similar to what [The Terror of Death] had done when he changed weapons.

"Alright, explain yourself," I said.

"No—_You _explain yourself first. Why are you attacking Haseo?" she replied, glaring at me.

I sighed; this would get nowhere if neither of us backed down. I guess that there wasn't any harm in me answering her questions first though.

"That's because we thought he was the boss for this floor," I answered truthfully. "He doesn't have a player indicator above his head, and unlike a player, a name _did_ display above his head even though we weren't partied. Both are signs of an NPC or system controlled mob."

"Floor? Player indicator? Name display?" the red-haired girl asked. "What are you talking about? Those aren't features in—Wait…are we still in [The World]?"

It was my turn to be puzzled.

"The world? I don't know what world you're talking about, but you're currently trapped in [Aincrad]. This is the 76th floor…the front-line," I answered.

This was really odd. If the boy in the sinister armor wasn't the boss, where was the boss that was supposed to be awaiting us here? And if this girl in front of me was actually a player who could survive on the 76th floor, why haven't I seen her at the boss clearing meetings so far? Female players were rare enough in this death game. Female players who were also clearers—well, that classification would certainly qualify as an endangered species. I would have noticed her for sure.

"I'll explain more when we get out of the dungeon," I continued. "But first, can you do something about your friend over there? He seems to be attacking anyone who gets near and we can't advance to the next floor because of him."

The girl looked at her companion, squinting her eyes in concentration. "[The Terror of Death]," she read out loud before gasping. "I think I know what happened!"

"What?"

"Haseo's character was special even within [The World]," she explained. "It's hard to explain, but he had an additional…um how to put it…code within his avatar. Sort of an advanced AI built into the system that gives him abilities above that of normal players. He actually activated it when we were fighting the—what did you call it? Floor Boss? Well, he was able to beat the boss with it, but the [Avatar], as it's known in our world, didn't activate the way it did back when we were in [The World]. Here, it was more like he was possessed than anything else. Haseo managed to shake it off when we finished the fight, but he looked exhausted, so I told him to rest here for a bit while I went to the next floor along with a friend of ours to look for someone for help. I don't know what happened after I left…"

"Well, that doesn't help much. Unless you know how to return him to normal?" I replied.

"I-I can try," she said hesitantly, before stepping towards the boy.

In response to her movement, [The Terror of Death] took a step backwards. It seemed that some part of him still remembered our new ally.

"Haseo, it's me, Alkaid," she said softly. "Do you remember why we're here? Why Silabus and I followed you here? Please, come back to us. To me…Didn't we say we were going to rescue Atoli? Together?"

Her words seemed to have an effect on Haseo. At least, he looked like he was going through an internal struggle. He dropped the broadsword, which dematerialized by his feet.

"A-At-o—li," the grey-haired boy repeated the name with some difficulty. The intensity of his fiery red eyes seemed to die down a little. "I—have to…"

The girl took another step forwards, clearly hoping to snap him out of his current state. She began, "Haseo, I—"

For a moment, it looked like everything would be alright; that she would succeed. But just as the girl was about to reach him, Haseo pushed her back.

"Al-kaid, get…away…I—can't…" he struggled to say. As he did, his eyes flared red again, not just the pupils this time, but the irises as well. What appeared to be black smoke rose from the joints in his armor, increasing the menacing aura he exuded tenfold.

In a bestial roar that resounded off the walls, he screamed, "OOOOVVVAAANNNN!"

Haseo, or rather, [The Terror of Death], materialized his scythe and for the first time since we entered this room, went on the offensive.

_Well, things could have gone better_, I thought, as I drew [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser] and charged to meet him.

* * *

_November 12__th__, 2024, 100__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kayaba Akihiko_

"Well, it seems to me that you were correct in your assessment of these interlopers. Their influence on those who have been here for two years already should prove to be a fascinating study," Kayaba Akihiko said to the blue-haired man who sat across from him.

Although the [Scarlet Jade Castle] was supposed to be the final dungeon, the creator of SAO had decided to furnish the room with lavish trappings for the time being. After all, it would be rude not to offer a place to sit and something to drink to a guest such as the one he had now.

"So I gather that you will allow those three to continue living within your world as players?" the man who called himself "Ovan" asked while taking a sip of coffee out of the cup that had been offered to him.

Kayaba found his visitor to be an intriguing individual. He was dressed in mostly whites with blue tones and wore tinted sunglasses that often reflected light in such a manner that his eyes were not discernible. He wielded a rifle, something that should not exist in the world of [Aincrad], and his left arm was sealed within a large, locked cylinder, clearly hiding something. But he was interesting and informative enough that Kayaba was willing to let that slide for now.

"Tell me more about how you five came to trespass in _my_ world first," Kayaba said, waving his hand upwards to draw attention to the large prismatic crystal floating at the top of the ceiling that now housed Atoli.

Ovan looked at the frozen girl expressionlessly. "I can only offer you a conjecture, nothing more."

Kayaba gestured, indicating that his guest should continue.

"I suspect that when [Cubia] appeared in my world, it somehow weakened the structure of [The World]. My reason for believing this to be the truth is that even after [Cubia] was destroyed, segments of code within [The World] remained corrupted, although normal players would barely be able to notice a change in the environment," he explained. "I cannot say with any certainty, but perhaps one of these corrupted patches of data linked up to your world, acting as a bridge to this realm for those in my world who hold [Avatars]. All I can say is that when I felt the disappearance of that girl from my world and went to investigate, the corrupted data stream led me here."

"[Avatars]. You mean that strange form that girl, Atoli, took on when she challenged me?" Kayaba asked.

"Precisely. The ones who hold an [Avatar], those we call [Epitaph Users], can battle in a dimension parallel to [The World]. Perhaps our connection to this 'other dimension' is why we were susceptible to falling into this world of yours," Ovan suggested. "It's rather puzzling, but it seems that the character data those from my world are using comes from the precise moment when I reset [The World]'s server. At the least, it's true for Haseo and myself."

"You seem to have a personal interest in that boy," Kayaba noted.

"He was the one that I needed to be defeated by in order for my plan to work," Ovan answered. "With that goal in mind, I watched over his growth and guided him. So that he would one day surpass me."

"And you intend to play that role again here," Kayaba replied, narrowing his eyes. "Or else you would not have provoked him by letting him know the one he was searching for was here on the top floor."

"Of course," Ovan said calmly, the light reflecting off his glasses. "Because if the data that we carried over to this world was from just before I reset the server, there's the possibility [AIDA] survived within that data stream. But moreso than that, I want to observe how much _he_ can grow in this world of death. Is it not the same with you and that boy with the [Dual Swords] skill—Kirito-kun?"

Kayaba Akihiko glared at the man across from him; Ovan seemed undisturbed by this show of hostility. This mysterious blue-haired man was much more perceptive than he would have imagined. Judging by his words earlier, Ovan also held an [Avatar] within himself; that meant that he was not someone to be taken lightly. Kayaba had trouble enough with Atoli before unlocking his full powers as an admin; Ovan seemed to be more sure of his power and would likely prove to be a far more competent and dangerous adversary than the girl. Even with the full use of his administrator's powers, Kayaba estimated his chance of victory, should it come to an actual fight with this man, to be about 50%.

He decided the best course of action was to make Ovan his ally. Which of course started with telling him the truth. "That's mostly correct. I am interested in _everyone_ within this world, but he more than the others. Since our goals are not mutually exclusive, what would you say to a truce between the two of us? As a show of my sincerity, I'll agree to your terms regarding those three players, although I will edit some of their skill lists and game interface so that they will have largely the same experience as the rest of the players in SAO."

Ovan nodded. "That will be acceptable. And as a show of _my _gratitude, I shall not knowingly interfere directly with any of your plans until Haseo reaches the final floor."

"You seem quite confident in his ability to reach the top."

"No less sure than you are with regards to Kirito-kun."

This man was perceptive indeed and if Kayaba wasn't sorely mistaken, roughly his equal in intellect. The wait for the players to reach the top floor had just gotten a lot more interesting.

* * *

Atoli came pretty close to clearing the game by herself in this chapter. I had to give her a good scene, seeing as how making her play damsel-in-distress doesn't fit well with her character development within the G.U. games. Unfortunately, she ended up as such despite her good effort in order for the story to actually last more than two chapters, but not before nearly doing away with Heathcliff.

Not too much character development for the SAO crew yet since the spotlight is still on those from the .Hack universe. Did Ovan's appearance here come as a surprise to any of you? I hope it did, since that was partly what I was going for. Ovan + Kayaba…it seems that Team Manipulative has officially formed up. Ovan's clearly the type who has an agenda separate from Kayaba's; whether they end up backstabbing one another is a tale for another chapter.

De-leveling the .Hack characters from post-[Cubia] levels to just before Ovan reset [The World] ensures that the five characters from that world aren't all lvl 150 god-tier monsters when compared to the SAO world players. However, Haseo's character level, as well as Ovan's, will still be relatively high at this point compared to the rest of the cast (aside from Kayaba.)


	3. Chapter 3: A Light in the Dark

**Chapter 3: A Light in the Dark  
**

_November 12, 2024, 76__th__ floor of Aincrad, Asuna_

[The Terror of Death] raced forwards with malevolent intent, moving at a speed that could rival my own. I myself am quite confident in my [Agility] stat, the parameter that influenced attack and movement speed. Based on the strength with which the grey-haired boy had battered aside his foes and the heavy armor he wore, I had thought that he had to be primarily a [Strength] build character. It would seem that my guess was wrong.

"Asuna! [Switch]!"

The request came from none other than Kirito, who had rushed in to meet the other boy's attack head-on with none of the hesitation that now gripped the majority of the clearers. Not that I blamed them at all; the feeling of pure rage that radiated from our adversary, if it could be turned into an item, would be a paralytic poison of the highest caliber.

Kirito's clear voice shook me out of my initial shock. I had truly thought that the girl Alkaid would have been able to talk some sense into her friend. Dashing in at full speed and drawing my rapier [Lambent Light] at the same time in one swift motion, I used the basic rapier skill [Linear] in an attempt to gauge the enemy's defenses. What happened next caused not only me to pause for what could have been a fatal moment, but Kirito as well.

He actually _caught_ the blade. An attack that might very well be the fastest attack in all of SAO. Dodging would have been understandable, even with Kirito providing an opening to [Switch] in before he could recover, I might have missed that brief moment of opportunity. Parrying, again, I wouldn't have been too surprised to see. But to side-step my attack and grab onto the blade as it passed by…just who _was_ this player?

I suppose I should have counted myself lucky that he did not just counterattack immediately. Instead, [The Terror of Death] roared as he swung my sword around with me still holding onto the hilt. At the height of the arc I was flung in, I released my grip from the rapier, choosing to temporarily abandon the blade over being slammed into the ground. As I acrobatically landed and rolled to my feet, I mentally apologized to Liz for dropping the sword she had crafted for me.

Klein, the guild leader of [Fuurinkazan], stepped in to fill the void my exit had left. The man, whom Kirito described as having a "thuggish" face, was an extremely reliable fellow. [The Terror of Death] looked over this newcomer, clad in red samurai armor, almost dismissively. He tossed my rapier to the side and materialized that massive broadsword once more.

"Asuna-san, go get your weapon. Kirito, back me up," he said urgently, keeping an eye on the monstrous presence in front of him.

I complied immediately, retrieving [Lambent Light] as swiftly as I could run a safe circle around the black armor-clad figure. The familiar grip, the feeling that the sword, from pommel to tip, was an extension of myself, was reassuring.

But the question of how we were going to stop the rampaging young man in front of us remained. According to Kirito, the standard operating procedure in an MMO under this scenario involved beating the enemy down until they came back to their senses, usually at some arbitrary HP percentage. Of course, he had also noted that his suggestion was standard operating procedure for NPCs, not possessed players. Even if his theory was correct, that would require being able to land enough hits on the enemy to knock them down to that percentage. So far, we haven't landed a single direct hit on him yet. Despite the lack of a shield, it would have been no joke to say that his defensive power rivaled that of Heathcliff, who I actively tried to think of as the "former leader."

"Oy, Kirito! Any idea how we're going to beat this guy?" Klein shouted as he dodged another strike from the broadsword.

Taking advantage of the recovery time of the larger weapon, Klein ran in, likely due to instinct, with his sword positioned for a quick strike. Unfortunately, his foe quickly dematerialized his original weapon and deflected the attack with one of his twin daggers. An attack with the second dagger grazed Klein's left side and Asuna was shocked to see his health drop 20% from such a feeble hit.

Klein forcibly deflected a third strike and called for Kirito to [Switch] in. Kirito jumped in, a black storm of steel. He had discarded the white and red uniform of the [Knights of Blood] after Heathcliff had been revealed to be Kayaba Akihiko. And to my surprise, I found that I didn't really mind that he wasn't wearing the guild colors; his old outfit just suited him so much better.

Kirito launched into a rapid flurry of strikes that had me captivated. He often speaks in similar terms whenever he witnesses me in action, but I suppose that the inability to see oneself in battle had tainted our perspectives. From the look of concentration on his face, it seemed to me as if he was trying hard not to accidentally use a [Sword Skill] on his adversary. I remembered the pleas of the strange dual-wielding girl, Alkaid, who had gotten in my way earlier; if [The Terror of Death] truly was a player, killing him within this game would be tantamount to murder. Of course, I also had the feeling that this wasn't a fight that could be won without the use of [Sword Skills]. Proof of that was what was happening right now.

The young man in demonic armor was blocking every single attack coming from the [Black Swordsman]. With just the blade he held in his left hand. Compounding the growing dread in my heart, the relaxed pose Kirito's foe adopted as he was doing so made that already impossible feat seem like a simple task. Kirito's attacks were having a slight effect though, slowly whittling down his foe's health since damage in this game cannot be fully mitigated. Unfortunately, the rate our opponent's health was decreasing was completely offset by his natural health regeneration. It seemed that, just like Kirito, our adversary had access to high level [Battle Healing].

Finally tiring of the act, Kirito's foe gave a bestial growl and disarmed him with a flick of his wrist. [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser] both landed a few meters away from me, points stuck into the ground. Then, [The Terror of Death] dropped both weapons and grabbed Kirito's face with a clawed gauntlet. With a snarl, he gave a push, sending Kirito tumbling to the ground before he skidded to a stop almost 10 meters from where he had started.

"Kirito-kun!" I shouted, running to cover him with all possible haste. As I did so, the young man Kirito was trying so hard to save raised his arms towards him, palm facing up. If I had felt dread facing [The Terror of Death] before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. Strange symbols appeared in the air around that raised gauntlet. They quickly took on the shape of a cannon with a barrier in the shape of flower petals at the back. And behind the boy himself, I thought I could see a much larger creature, humanoid in shape with a crescent-shaped crest atop its head. Three blazing eyes filled with all rage of the world stared straight at Kirito. This malignant aura…it wasn't something that a human being should possess. [The Terror of Death] lived up to his name.

I placed myself in front of Kirito, fully intending to shield him. He feebly tried to pull me to the side, but was unable to from his position on the floor. If one of us had to take the next hit, if one of us had to die on this day…I would not be able to bear it if it wasn't Kirito who lived on. He was the one who had the ability to clear this game and save everyone who was left; I had believed that from the bottom of my heart since the day I met him on the first floor.

But to my surprise, the red-haired girl who had obstructed me earlier now took a place in front of me, shielding the two of us. Smiling sadly towards me, she whispered, "I'm sorry I got you into this mess." And turning to her former companion, she declared, "Haseo! I know you're still in there somewhere fighting against it. Don't let it control you anymore! Damn it all, answer me—Haseo!"

And answer he did, with a continuous beam from the cannon that was as beautiful as it was deadly. A single strike that left in my mind no doubt that it could cleave through the girl in front of me, myself, Kirito, and anything else that lay behind us without any trouble. That is, had it been aimed at us.

Because it seemed as if Haseo had heard Alkaid's plea. Right arm gripping the left tightly, he had forced the arm wielding the cannon upwards such that the resulting attack had struck only the ceiling. My eyes rested on where the beam had hit and I let out a gasp in response to what I saw. There, in the upper corner of the room, was a large blotch of inky darkness. It was as if the entire spot had been erased from the game. Of course, the [Cardinal System] in charge of running the game quickly began repairs, but that did not detract from the fact that a mere player had just demonstrated the ability to actually damage the world we inhabited.

[The Terror of Death] put his head in hands and screamed to the ceiling; the action bought us all enough time to retrieve our weapons and drink a health potion. We were back to where we started. The question remained…How could we hope to overcome such a monster?

"Mama," a voice called out to me. A voice that I could never forget.

"Yui-chan?" I asked, looking around for her.

Yui was not my actual child. Nor was Kirito, whom she called "Papa," her actual father. But the two of us had come to think of her as such. Yui was an AI programmed into the world of SAO, created in order to monitor the mental state of its occupants and provide aid if necessary. With the start of the death game, she had been locked away, forbidden to act so that Kayaba Akihiko could rule his world the way he saw fit. Kirito and I had met her on the 22nd floor of [Aincrad] where we had bought a cottage after our marriage. Initially, she had no memories of her past and we had embarked on a journey to help her remember. Deep in a hidden dungeon underneath the first floor, she had finally regained her memories. It was also there that Yui had used administrator's powers in order to save Kirito and myself from the dungeon boss; a boss Kirito had estimated to be equivalent to a boss found on the 90th level. In doing so, [Cardinal] had run a check on Yui and had deleted her from the database, deeming her to be a foreign object. Or it would have done so, had Kirito not managed to convert her data into an item file before the process had been completed. What was left of Yui, her "heart" so to speak, had become a small jewel which I now carried around my neck; so that I could be with her until we cleared this game.

I held the crystal in my hands now, in hopes that Yui would speak again. The gemstone felt warm in my hand and let off a faint glow.

"Yui-chan, are you there?" I asked softly.

Kirito looked at me for a moment, but then nodded as if to say "you do what you need to." The bond of trust between us was such that we would not question what the other was doing no matter how strange it seemed at the moment. Talking to a necklace in the middle of a nearly hopeless fight would probably be near the top of the "strangeness" list.

[The Terror of Death] had recovered from his momentary lapse in control, but by this time, several of the other clearers had finally managed to shake off their fear and had joined the fray. I prayed that they wouldn't get themselves killed.

"Mama, that boy—I can feel it," Yui's voice said quietly. It felt as if she were whispering in my ear. "Pain, anger, fear, helplessness. It's even more intense than on the first day this game started. Mama, please take me to him."

"What do you mean, Yui-chan? What are you trying to do? How close do you need to get?" Asuna asked. "And why haven't you talked to me before this?"

"Now's not the time, Mama," Yui pleaded. "Just try to touch him with the gem. I need to get close enough to access his data."

I trusted Yui as much as I trusted Kirito. Because of this, I decided to fulfill her request no matter how difficult it would be. The only problem was getting close enough to actually pull it off. Looking over at [The Terror of Death], I tried to discern a pattern to his attacks so that I could slip behind his defenses. But for all the speed and precision of the boy's strikes with that oversized scythe, there were no gaps to exploit, no way to get close without getting torn apart by that sinister blade.

"Kirito-kun! I need you to make an opening for me to get close," I shouted. He turned around to face me. I continued, "I know you don't want to risk killing him, but you'll have to use a skill, it's the only way. Normal attacks aren't going to cut it."

He still looked hesitant until I finished, "Yui-chan has a plan, I'm going to trust in her for this."

That was enough for him. He smiled warmly and nodded. "Alright," he replied. "Follow in close."

"Everyone, get back," he shouted. A few of the clearers looked puzzled, but they followed his orders. It would seem that having a reputation as one of the strongest players in SAO, the user of the unique skill [Dual Swords], and being someone that even Kayaba Akihiko was wary of had its advantages.

Kirito charged in and I followed closely. [The Terror of Death] dropped down on all fours and leapt forwards to meet us.

With five meters to go, Kirito's blades began to glow, taking on the light that signaled the start of a [Sword Skill]. The scythe's blade, which seemed to devour all light, descended for Kirito's neck. [Dark Repulser] moving so fast it resembled a shooting star, ascended to meet it.

"[Starburst Stream]," Kirito intoned as he focused all attention on the young man before him.

I have only seen Kirito use this skill twice before; once in the fight against the boss of the 74th floor and once against Heathcliff in their duel. The beauty of the technique was matched only by its ferocity. Two swords, one black, one white, alternatively striking, supporting one another; I was reminded of our own relationship.

He hadn't used that skill at all during the boss encounter on the 75th floor. The reason why was obvious; once committed to using a [Sword Skill], it was impossible to take it back. A 16-hit combo like the one Kirito was using now meant that he would take hits from the boss while his move auto-completed.

But our opponent this time was different. For whatever reason, be it instinct or learned response, he spent the effort to parry and block every attack thrown at him. This meant that Kirito could attack with near impunity since the boss would block rather than attack back. And block the blows he did. Despite the size of that scythe, [The Terror of Death] swung it around as if it were weightless, deflecting Kirito's fierce strikes with both blade and shaft. For one brief moment, I was afraid that even Kirito would be unable to break that formidable guard, but on the final strike, a stab aimed straight for his foe's chest, Kirito's efforts paid off, knocking [The Terror of Death]'s weapon back and throwing his opponent off-balance.

"Now, Asuna!" Kirito shouted.

I ran in, mustering all the speed that I, [the Flash] had access to. My vision narrowed; all that mattered was reaching the young man in front of me. I was unarmed; the only thing I carried in my right hand was the gemstone that held Yui's data. As my hand opened to press the jewel into [The Terror of Death]'s forehead, I whispered a prayer, hoping that whatever Yui planned on doing would succeed.

The moment I made contact with the boy in the demonic armor, I was enveloped in a burst of light and felt myself thrown backwards as if I had been caught in an explosion. Someone caught me as I soared through the air, but the momentum was enough to knock him down as well. Two clattering sounds told me that the person behind me was Kirito, who had dropped his weapons in order to make the catch. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck, but it was more important now to see the result of Yui's actions.

* * *

_November 12__th__, 2024, 76__th__ floor of Aincrad, Haseo_

"Stop it. Stop it. STOP IT!" I screamed in frustration as the body that was mine fought against the swordsman in black. Alkaid had gotten involved at some point as well, and I didn't want anyone, least of all her, getting hurt because of my inability to control my emotions.

This had to be a bad dream. A nightmare. It just _had_ to be. Because I remembered doing something very similar back when I had first awakened Skeith. Back when I was…less sociable, to put it lightly. I had nearly killed Kuhn when I lost control of Skeith during a battle between our Avatars. A battle he had walked into knowing full well what I might have done. Because he knew that it was a lesson I had to learn about controlling my desire for vengeance. He had to open my eyes as to what I was willing to cast aside in order to achieve that revenge.

Right now, my consciousness seemed to be floating somewhere outside of my own body and I was forced to watch helplessly as [Skeith] toyed with the players in the room. It seemed my [Avatar] had a sense of humor, or at least, irony. Because what he was doing now reminded me of exactly what had happened in [Hulle Granz Cathedral]. Except back then, I had been on the receiving end.

Just as the mysterious figure I had thought was Tri-edge back then had effortlessly deflected all my attempts at killing him back then, my possessed body was now blocking all of the swordsman in black's attacks now. But the worst was yet to come. Because what had happened on that day was…

[Skeith] disarmed his opponent with a flick of my wrist, the black and white blades spinning in the air before landing point first in the ground. This was going exactly as I remembered it happening. The swordsman was sent sprawling to the ground by what appeared to be a casual push.

"Stop it NOW!" I yelled futilely. Because I knew what would be coming next.

A girl in white stood in front of the boy in black, looking determined to shield him from the blast.

"Damn it [Skeith]! STOP ALREADY!" I shouted, feeling desperation welling up from the depths of my soul. "Don't do it!"

My left arm raised up, pointing at the two. I felt a familiar surge of power. Alkaid ran in front of where my arm was pointing. She looked melancholic as she whispered something to the two behind her.

"[Skeith]! Stop it! You're going to hurt—"

On that fateful day, I had been hit with an ability that I later learned was called [Data Drain]. Perhaps due to the protection of [Skeith], I had gotten away relatively unscathed. After all, being forcibly de-leveled from 133 back down to 1 was a small price to pay when the alternative was falling into a coma. The three who would be caught in the blast now had no such protection. In the worst case scenario, they might even die.

Alkaid was shouting something at the person that was "not me." At first I couldn't really make out what she was saying, but eventually, a few words reached my ears.

"—Don't let it control you anymore! Damn it all, answer me—Haseo!"

She still believed in me; that I was fighting against [Skeith]'s influence. Alkaid always was strong willed, and hearing her words strengthened my resolve. Here I was doing nothing but screaming and yelling like a powerless child and yet she still believed in me.

I focused hard. That was _my_ body. [Skeith] had no right to go berserk and hurt _my_ friends. _I _had no right to let [Skeith] hurt my friends due to my own weakness. I knew that taking back full control wouldn't be possible, so I focused solely on one arm. If I could just force the aim off, that would be enough for me. To my surprise, I succeeded, and the [Data Drain] struck the far corner of the room.

But my actions earned me the undivided attention and ire of [Skeith, The Terror of Death]. I could literally feel the weight of its emotions upon me. Hatred, rage, sorrow, fear, despair, helplessness, all distilled into a concentrated form. It was, no doubt, a reflection of my own emotions after having met Ovan in this world. But there was something else to them as well. It seemed too strong to just be my own amplified feelings cast back at me. It was as if every emotion felt by thousands upon thousands of people as they lay on the verge of death were focused onto me now. It was painful, it was confusing, it was heavy. I was losing myself to that stream of emotions. This went far beyond what I had experienced even when I had first awakened [Skeith].

As I was drowning in despair, almost literally, I heard a voice.

"Don't give up, oji-chan!"

A brilliant light appeared before me and instinctively, I reached out for it. A small hand met my own and with unexpected strength, it pulled me up and out of the dark mass that [Skeith]'s influence had created. I turned to face my savior and felt my jaw dropping in surprise.

It was a young girl, probably not much older than 10 years old. She had long black hair arranged in a somewhat messy hime-cut and innocent feature that immediately made me want to protect her for some odd reason. In fact, she reminded me a little of Bo, except that they were nothing alike aside from that aura of innocence.

"That was a close one, oji-chan," she said, making a motion to imitate wiping sweat off her forehead.

"I'm not your uncle, little girl," I replied. Then, looking down at the mess below me, I added in a more grateful tone. "Thank you for pulling me out."

"You're welcome, oji-chan," she replied, clearly ignoring what I had just said.

"Look, will you stop calling me that? I don't need to feel older than I really am," I said, without any real conviction in my voice. "My name's Haseo, just call me that, ok?"

The girl smiled and introduced herself. "I'm Yui. Nice to meet you, Haseo oji-chan."

Then, she gave me such a sweet smile that I had the urge to check my blood sugar levels. Looking at that for too long would _not_ be good for my heart at all, I just know it. As I tried hard not to look in the girl's general direction for fear of falling prey to that smile, I suddenly realized that she should not have been able to access this, for lack of a better term, "subspace" that I inhabited.

"Um, Yui-chan—"

"Just call me Yui," she interrupted. "It's what Papa calls me."

"Fine—Yui, how is it that you're here?" I asked. "Not that I don't appreciate you helping me out back there, but I don't understand—"

She put on that knowing smile that girls sometimes get when they know something you don't and they're thinking about whether to tell you or not. It seemed that the argument to "tell me" won in the end, because she stood up, placed her hands on her hips and proudly declared the following:

"I was able to come here because that's my function as an AI. To monitor the mental state of players and help them adjust if need be."

I must have missed something. That…was about the most ridiculous statement I've heard, ranking just above the time when someone told me that a semi-sentient computer virus caused my friend (and first crush) to fall into a coma while playing a video game and that I had access to some over-the-top power beyond the norms of the system that could fix it. Oh wait, that second bit actually turned out to be true.

"Alright, I guess I can believe that," I conceded, to which the girl's face lit up again as bright as a 4000-watt searchlight. Averting my eyes to avoid blood-sugar poisoning, I asked, "So what now? How are we going to stop [Skeith] from going back on his rampage?"

"Um," Yui said, sounding a little uncertain. "I can help with that, I think. Part of my programming helps me keep negative emotions in check. This—[Skeith] you're talking about, is it that data entity inside of you that's collecting all of the feelings of people as they die or are close to dying?"

"It's more like an AI than just data," I said. "But that's pretty close to the truth, I think. So, how can I help you with this?"

"Just hold still," she said as she straightened her fingers out so that her hand looked like the blade of a knife. Looking at her palm for a second, she nodded in a satisfied way and plunged it into my chest.

I flinched back out of reflex and she gave me an amused look before I realized that it actually didn't hurt. It was a strange and somewhat unnerving experience for me. Although I didn't actually _feel_ anything, just watching as she rummaged around in my abdominal cavity made me imagine what it would have felt like; very uncomfortable indeed.

"Alright, that should do it," she said as she stepped back, looking very pleased with herself. "You have some very odd bits of code inside you. It's almost as if your entire character is—protected somehow."

I wasn't really surprised by what she had said. Between [Skeith] and Zelkova's modifications to my character, I probably had the most untouchable character in all of [The World] from an administrator's standpoint.

"But now I have a direct link to your character," she said cheerfully. "It's a two way connection, so if anything happens, I'll know right away, Haseo oji-chan!"

"What happens now?" I asked.

"I just need to reconnect you to your character in the game," Yui answered. "Brace yourself, Haseo oji-chan, this might feel a little strange."

"Just wait a mo—"

Too late. Spinning rapidly head over heels, I was vaguely aware of actually having arms and legs again before I blacked out.

* * *

_November 12__th__, 2024, 76__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

I threw myself to the side and managed to catch Asuna as she flew back from the force of the explosion of light. The flash of light was brief and when it faded, the black figure of [The Terror of Death] stood there passively, unmoving. His form flickered and blurred, and unlike before, he was no longer giving off that feeling of impending death.

The name above his head flickered as well, changing to [Haseo] and then back. This repeated itself a few more times, but eventually, it settled on [Haseo] before it faded out completely and was replaced by a player indicator. It seemed like our Yui had succeeded in what she had wanted to do. As her "Papa," it made me feel proud, strange as it might sound coming from a 16 year old.

Haseo's knees buckled underneath him and he fell slowly, as if he was submerged. Alkaid rushed to his side, nearly as fast as Asuna's top speed, and supported him before he could hit the ground. The look of relief on her face was touching.

I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground. Moments later, Asuna joined me, looking just as tired as I felt. I probably would have fallen asleep right then and there, lack of a safety-zone be damned, but Klein walked over and gave the two of us hearty pats on the back when we sat up in response to his presence.

"Nice work, you two," he said cheerfully, looking completely relaxed now that the battle was over. "Nice to see that the loving couple is still the strongest team I know of in this game."

Klein probably figured that I didn't have much energy left just based on how I didn't find some witty comeback, because he immediately followed that up with, "We'll go on ahead and open the gate on the next level if their friend hasn't already done so." He nodded towards Alkaid and Haseo. "Why don't you two take them back to your guild headquarters for now? We'll hold off on the floor opening celebration until tomorrow and I'll send their friend back to the 55th floor with instructions on how to find you guys once I run into him."

That sounded like a wonderful idea to me, because frankly, right now even the cold tiled floor of the dungeon was looking like a good place to lie down and take a long nap.

-o-

Well, it turns out that I won't be able to take that nap for a while yet, because as soon as we arrived back in the KoB headquarters, Asuna had wanted to talk with Alkaid and find out what was going on. I had told her to go on ahead and had settled in on a nice comfortable couch, my feet propped up on the hand-rest, when she had slapped me upside the head and told me that, as the (recently appointed) vice-leader, it was my duty to be there for the debriefing.

Which was why I found myself standing stiffly at attention in a brightly lit room next to Asuna as she sat in a comfortable, cushioned, high-backed chair (not that I was jealous or anything) while she talked with the mysterious red-haired newcomer, also seated in a similarly comfortable chair. We had moved Haseo to one of the vacant player rooms within the HQ for the time being so that he could rest (unlike me, what-a-lucky-jerk-just-let-me-sleep-already-dammit.)

"I see," Asuna said, folding her arms on top of the table. "Well, that covers just about everything I wanted to ask you for now. Why don't you stay here for now? We'll give you a room next to Haseo-kun and tomorrow we can continue from where we left off. I'm sure you have a lot of questions about this world and you'll need some time to adjust to the differences our game has compared to your own."

Alkaid agreed with her suggestion, looking grateful either for the room that was close to her friend's, or just for a place to rest. It was then that I failed in fighting back a yawn which drew Asuna's attention immediately.

"Am I boring you, Kirito-kun?" she asked with a smile. I've learned by now all the different smiles Asuna is capable of. This was her "answer wrong and you're sleeping on the floor tonight" smile; one of the more dangerous ones she has in her deadly arsenal.

"Not at all," I answered a little too hastily as I practically sprinted to the front of the room to hold the door open for the ladies.

-o-

Well, it turns out that I won't be able to take that nap for a while yet…again. Because as soon as we opened the door to Haseo's room—

"Yui-chan?" Asuna exclaimed, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

I felt just as shocked, all hints of tiredness disappearing instantly. Because sitting there on the edge of Haseo's bed was none other than Yui. Our daughter.

"Hi Mama. Hi Papa. I'm home," she said with the same smile I remembered from our time together.

* * *

*notes: There's a little bit of overlap in the events detailed by the different perspectives. I wanted to try that out as an experimental bit for this chapter and I think it turned out ok. Still a lot of exposition going on in order to get all the details out there in case anyone isn't familiar with one or the other series. I finally managed to give Haseo control over his character again. One of the reasons why I wanted [Skeith] to possess him right off the bat was so that it doesn't become an instant win button for the protagonists. In order to be interesting, overpoweredness must be balanced by an equally strong reason not to use it. Insanity and the inability to differentiate friend from foe would do the trick, and it's actually somewhat canonical too.

As for why [Skeith] is more of a rage-filled monstrosity in the SAO-verse when compared to the .Hack one, here's my explanation for the phenomenon. [Skeith] in the .Hack-verse was created as a way to collect data on human emotions and their reactions to death. In the SAO universe, where death is final, players have to deal with death on a regular basis. So basically, [Skeith] is now empowered by 2 years worth of the ongoing death game, resulting in Haseo having little to no control over his Avatar. But now [Skeith] has a restraining bolt. An adorable restraining bolt by the name of Yui.

Ok, to finish things off. If you have any comments, criticisms, or suggestions, please leave a review or drop me a PM. I try to respond to questions as much as I can without giving things away. And I'll probably be renaming this fic in the near future; I'm really bad with titles, so I just gave this one a temporary name while I started working on the plot.

**edit: **Thanks to The Final One for pointing out that SAO uses Agility rather than Dexterity as the speed stat. The change has been made.


	4. Chapter 4: Forge of the Lame God, Part 1

**Chapter 4: Forge of the Lame God, Part 1**

_November 13__th__, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

"Well, I see that the player-run papers are hard at work exaggerating everything that happened yesterday," I noted dryly as I scanned the articles in the newspaper.

Some of the titles would not be out of place in a tabloid, and half of them seemed to contradict one another. I have to admit that it was nice that there were no articles about myself in there, seeing as how I drew too much attention as it was. Still, I was looking forwards to seeing what Haseo's reaction to all the publicity would be once he woke up. Just walking through town this morning, I heard the terms [Demonic Berserker], [Shinigami], and [Unholy Weaponsmaster] used no less than a dozen times each. However, the phrase most often bandied about was [The Terror of Death].

Asuna sat across from me at the table, delicately sipping a cup of tea. She raised an eyebrow at my statement and replied, "I bet you're just happy that you're not mentioned by name at all in there."

She knows me way too well.

"What do you make of all this?" I asked. "Yui's return, players from another game somehow ending up in this world, powers that transcend the system, and all this happening right after exposing Kayaba Akihiko…It's a lot of change in a short time."

"Well, I talked with Alkaid some more this morning, and it seems like most of what applies for us applies for her too. At least, her interface looks almost exactly like ours. She looked a little surprised that it changed so much overnight, but I suppose that's a sign that Kayaba Akihiko is content to let them continue as players," Asuna answered. She looked directly at me, "It also seems like most of the skills she had in the MMO she was playing before coming here have been altered to SAO ones; she was a little distraught to find out her spells and a good portion of the items in her inventory have been corrupted to the point of uselessness."

That made sense to me. After all, SAO was a world based on the sword. Magic had no place here aside from a few convenient items such as teleportation crystals and healing crystals. If the MMO Alkaid had come from followed the standard format, she would be carrying revival items for party play. With one exception, no such items existed in the world of SAO. I clenched my hands tightly as I remembered my greatest failure, the ones I could not protect; miracles such as bringing back the dead…simply did not exist here.

"Kirito-kun," Asuna beckoned softly. "You're thinking about your time with the [Black Cats of the Full Moon] again. You always have that same look on your face when you do."

I nodded without saying a word. As I had said earlier, she knows me far too well.

"Why don't we go see Yui-chan?" she asked, clapping her hands together. "And while we're at it, we can see if Haseo-san is awake yet." She left the part about taking my mind off the past unsaid.

Last night, Yui had insisted on staying with "Haseo oji-chan" while he rested. I had never seen her become so attached to anyone in such a short amount of time before; of course, Asuna and I were exceptions.

As we walked down the hallway leading to Haseo's room in the guild headquarters, Asuna turned towards me and gave me a stern warning. "Whatever you do," she said, looking very serious. "Do not mention anything about PKs or guilds like [Laughing Coffin] or [Titan's Hand] in Haseo's presence unless he asks directly."

"Why not?" I asked, curious. "It's not like PKs are anything new in MMOs. I'm sure Haseo has had to deal with them wherever he came from as well."

"Yes…well. I guess you could say that," she replied. "I asked Alkaid about that curious title that had appeared over his head. [The Terror of Death]. From what she told me, it seems like there was once a time when Haseo was known by that name in his world too. She didn't know him personally back then, but Alkaid told me that there was not a person who hadn't heard of the black armored PKK who reeked of death."

I see…Even though PKing could be considered the norm for an MMO, there were always those who suffered from it. Player killers and those who hunted them; I knew well enough that there was little difference between the two. In a normal MMO, neither activity would be particularly noteworthy, but in a game like Sword Art Online, where death meant dying in real life, it was a major issue.

"Alright, I won't," I promised. I remembered the rage-driven demon Haseo had been when we had met him in the boss room; letting that loose again on purpose was pretty high on my list of things to avoid.

-o-

I blinked immediately after walking into Haseo's room. Perhaps I had walked into some strange alternate dimension where people in really menacing-looking armor were subservient to little girls in nightgowns. Because right now, Haseo was sitting on the edge of his bed looking somewhat confused as a very cheerful looking Yui was poking and prodding him, occasionally saying something along the lines of "No no, not _that_ menu, that's the skills menu, you want _this _one!"

"Yui-chan, are you bothering him?" Asuna asked in a motherly manner as she walked inside.

"Of course not," Yui answered, puffing out her cheeks and pouting cutely. "I'm helping Haseo oji-chan learn about the game's interface!"

"Yeah," Haseo added in her defense. "To be honest, the menus here are a lot different from what I'm used to. Not to mention how it feels like I'm actually _in_ the game rather than at a controller with a helmet on."

"Welcome to the Full-Dive experience," I said. "How are you settling in? Has Yui told you about the situation we're all in yet?"

By the grim expression on his face, she had. Haseo nodded and answered, "Sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

"Well, you did clear a floor boss for us," Asuna noted. "So I guess we can call it even. Are you hungry at all? I know it's a game, but not eating in SAO makes you feel weaker somehow."

Without waiting for an answer, she manipulated a couple of menus and pulled a sandwich out of thin air. I must have been drooling or something just looking at it, because after handing that one off to Haseo, she pulled a second one out and tossed it to me with a knowing smile. I accepted the package gratefully and said a quick "Itadakimasu" before digging in. Of course, I had barely gotten halfway through the heavenly sandwich when Yui tugged on my sleeve with an expression that said "I want some too."

"Here Yui, you can have the rest of mine," Haseo said, to which my daughter squealed in delight and snatched the remaining half out of his hands.

"You're a pretty nice guy," I noted, as I continued eating. Asuna's sandwiches are amazing; to be willing to share one with someone else…yeah, he was definitely a good fellow, possibly even a saint. There was no other word to describe someone who could readily give that up.

"What's with that look?"

I must have had a strange expression on my face which was why I hastily made up an excuse. "Oh, um—nothing, it's just that I didn't expect someone who wore armor that looked like that to be—well, friendly."

As if to prove my point, at that very moment, I heard a gasp from the entrance to the room followed by a red and black blur dashing past me and flying at Haseo. Apparently, Alkaid had returned from exploring the town.

"Ow," Alkaid complained as she took a step back, rubbing her arms. "Those spikes really get in the way of a good hug. I think I liked Xth form more."

"I agree with Red oba-chan," Yui declared. "Haseo oji-chan, you need a change of wardrobe!"

Without waiting for an answer from Haseo and ignoring the indignant sputtering of "I'm _NOT_ that old!" from Alkaid, Yui took hold of Haseo's hand and moved it in such a way that she was accessing his menus for him.

His outfit blurred out and was replaced with…a lot of belts. I'm completely serious. His shirt, which didn't cover his stomach, was made up of about six belts with an additional two making up a collar. His arms had belts wrapped all the way up to his shoulders. Thankfully his pants were actual pants, but they too, had a few too many extra belts strapped around the legs.

"Too tacky," Yui decided, and manipulated a few more buttons using Haseo's hand. His outfit changed again and Yui nodded in satisfaction. "Much better," she declared as she closed out of Haseo's menu.

I had to agree. There were still far too many belts on his outfit, but with the addition of bronze-colored armor at the shoulders and the back of the hands, they were far less noticeable. A metal plate on his back and what appeared to be a sash that hung down from his waist to his legs in the back made up the other notable features of his new suit. It was still more ornate than most armor I've seen in SAO, but it wouldn't stand out too much. Plus, I liked the color scheme; predominantly black, this was a man after my own heart.

"Second form, huh?" Haseo remarked, looking at his outfit. "Fair enough, I guess."

"Changing your armor's appearance is a good idea," I noted, tossing him this morning's news. A screen capture of him in his unmistakable spiked armor under the heading of "The Demon of the 76th Floor Labyrinth" was the centerpiece.

"Speaking of which," I continued. "If you managed to beat the 76th floor boss with just three people, you must be a fairly high level. It's considered a bit rude to ask one's level in SAO, but in this case, I'm just too curious to hold it back. How strong are you two, really?"

"I'm not sure, actually," Haseo said, scratching his head. "When I was sent here, I ended up losing my third job advancement, so I would have to say I'm a bit weaker than I was in [The World]." He brought up a menu and looked over his character stats. With a bit of a chuckle, he answered my initial question. "It seems like something out there has a sense of irony," he laughed. "The first time I was de-leveled I went from 133 to 1. It seems this time the de-leveling stopped at 133."

I couldn't stop my jaw from dropping. Neither could Asuna, by the looks of it. Not to brag or anything, but I was probably one of the highest leveled players in Sword Art Online right now. After some rapid level grinding on the 76th floor with Asuna before we found the boss room, I was quite proud to have finally broken the level 100 mark. My current level was 103. 30 levels difference—that was a substantial gap. I suddenly had the urge to run off and start slaughtering monsters by the dozens.

Alkaid looked a little embarrassed when she admitted she was "only" level 94. I kind of understood why though, considering the massive difference between the two.

"What about your equipment, Haseo?" Alkaid asked. "My inventory was mostly full of garbage data after coming here when I checked. Even the medicines and revival rains somehow became junk overnight."

Asuna concentrated as Haseo looked over his items; it seemed like she wanted to say something.

"Let's see," Haseo said, flipping through menus until he reached what he was looking for. "It looks like you're right. I guess the system did a scan and erased everything that wasn't in its database. At least it was nice enough to leave me with my starter equipment for each class."

"Kayaba Akihiko must be serious about letting you all into the game," Asuna said, having finished her thoughts. "At least, judging by how much effort it must have taken to convert your data into something appropriate for SAO."

"Well, it doesn't look like he can manipulate my character's core data," Haseo replied. "Since I can still feel [Skeith] somewhere there. Though I don't think I want to call on him again after what happened last time. Thankfully, Yui here is helping me by keeping him repressed."

"That's right," Yui said. "And since I'm connected to your core, I can manifest myself again and [Cardinal] can't touch me. Don't worry Haseo oji-chan, I'll protect you from [Skeith] so you can protect Mama and Papa and Red oba-san and all your friends!"

Haseo chuckled at that and patted my daughter on her head. "That's right" he said with a sad sort of smile, "I need to protect my friends—"

-o-

Later that day, Haseo took me off to the side with a serious expression on his face.

"I need to upgrade some of my equipment," he said. "My scythe should be alright since it's roughly a level 70 equip, but I don't want to have to rely on my natural stats to deal damage using my dual blades or broadsword."

"Do you have any money to pay for new equipment?" I asked. Good equipment in SAO started at about 100,000 Col and only got more expensive from there.

In SAO, there was no such thing as free equipment; it had to be earned or crafted and no craftsman or shopkeeper would ever sell a weapon at a loss. As a newcomer to the game, I doubted Haseo had enough [Col], the game's currency, to get anything remotely approaching his level.

"Money?" he asked. "That would be this [Col] stuff, right? I guess when the system converted my items, the Gp I had earned in [The World] was converted over. At a rate that would make moneychangers cry, but it was converted. I have about 10 million on me."

I gave a low whistle. That was quite the substantial fortune he had on his person. If he had that much, there was one particular blacksmith I could recommend for him. I had been meaning to pay her a visit for repairs on my gear soon anyway…

* * *

_November 13, 2024, 48__th__ floor of Aincrad, Lizbeth_

The sound of the waterwheel outside filled the room. It was soothing, but also helped me focus on my work. Even if it didn't help me by automating one of the processes required for forging weapons and armor, I would likely have bought this shop for the ambience alone.

[Lizbeth's Special Weapon Shop]. A somewhat small player-owned shop that nevertheless had a substantial number of regular customers. Business had been booming lately. Ever since Kirito revealed his [Dual Swords] skill and that one of the two swords he wielded had been forged by me, I had been swamped with requests from players to forge them weapons or upgrade the ones they already owned. It was all well and good from a business standpoint, but over the past few days, there have been several very pushy players entering my shop that clearly couldn't afford a high-end custom weapon and yet persistently insisted that I craft them one on credit.

I tried to put those people out of mind as I hammered out the ingot for the last order I had to fill for this morning. As the item glowed briefly and then molded itself to the desired shape, a one-handed axe, I wiped my forehead and let the air out of my lungs before appraising the stats on the item. A fairly good piece, sturdy and reliable, but it couldn't hold a candle to some of the works I've done in the past.

Since I had some time to kill, I looked over this morning's paper. It looks like there'll be another floor opening party going on tonight, maybe I'll take the time to go, seeing as how I've finally caught up with my backlog of work. It'd be a nice change of scenery and I found myself a little curious as to what the new town looked like.

Strangely enough, the paper didn't mention anything about the boss on the 76th floor, nor did it list the names of the players in the clearing party. However, there _was_ a lot about some demon or whatever that had appeared on the floor. I dismissed that instantly as player superstition and thought it was a whole load of nonsense. But I secretly vowed to myself that I would never set foot in the 76th floor labyrinth…just as a precaution.

A small jingle announced the presence of a customer. Locking the item I had finished crafting not long ago in place to a display case for the time being, I made my way to the front of the store. There, browsing the display cases was a young man in black armor. He had a hairstyle that wasn't too uncommon on boys his age in this game; what was it with them and spiky anime hairstyles anyways? Did they think it was cool or something? I will admit he chose an odd shade for his hair though; most boys would have picked something more flashy than gray. It looked like he was wearing light armor, but with the few metal plates hanging off of it, it might have just been low level heavy armor. I sighed to myself; it looks like I'd have to turn away yet another player who wouldn't be able to afford a custom sword.

"Welcome," I greeted him with a smile. I'd been getting better at customer service lately, but that didn't stop Kirito or Asuna from making fun of my still somewhat lackluster performance as a shopkeeper. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Since he didn't have a weapon equipped on him, I couldn't tell what type of weapon he wanted to look at.

"I'd like to have a custom-made weapon made," he said hesitantly.

The very words I had been expecting and hoping he wouldn't say. I decided the best course of action would be to try and dissuade him before he was too disappointed.

"The best custom-made weapons are really expensive right now since material costs are high," I said slowly, breaking the news to him. "If there's anything else that might work…"

"Don't worry about the cost," he said nonchalantly. "I'll worry about that when the time comes to pay."

He said something utterly ridiculous without dropping his casual expression. I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu just then, but I couldn't quite place why.

"Alright," I replied, unable to keep the uncertainty off my face. "What type of weapon are you looking for?"

"A two-handed sword, please," came the request.

My store didn't really have too many of those in stock at the moment, but I did have a few good ones in the back. Ever since I forged [Dark Repulser] for Kirito, I've been trying to forge heavier blades as well as quick one-handers and I can say with confidence that I've crafted a few that would probably be enough for this strange customer.

I went into the back room and brought out two of the better works. I handed one to the boy, expecting him to be unable to lift it and test it out; the stats requirement on the weapon were fairly high for anyone other than a front-liner. I think I would be able to persuade him to leave once the weapon proved to be too much for him to handle. To my surprise, he lifted it and swung it about with one hand, testing the weapon out.

"It feels a little light," he had the gall to complain. Seriously, what was with this guy? Well, I did use a speed-based metal for that blade, but he didn't have to make it sound like I was a shoddy smith.

"It's probably a few tiers above what you have right now," I noted dryly. Asuna always said that my personality would drive away customers, but my policy was to win over customers with the quality of my weapons, not with words.

"Is that so?" he said, arching an eyebrow. "Do you mind if I test out your claim then?"

"Go ahead," I said, promising to myself that I'd have a good laugh at his expense when his weapon snapped like a twig. If that happened, I _might_ just repair his sword for him afterwards if he begged hard enough. There was still that nagging déjà vu sensation, but I ignored it for now.

The boy nodded and equipped his weapon. A glowing effect marked the appearance of his weapon in his right hand. From what he had said, I expected it to be a mid-level claymore at best. Instead, what appeared was a massively oversized broadsword with what appeared to be razor-sharp teeth lining the edge.

I could feel the uneasiness build within me, but just because a weapon _looked_ deadly, didn't mean its stats were particularly high…right? As if to answer my question, the boy's sword did something even more frightening; the teeth started oscillating, like the bits on a chainsaw. A menacing whirring sound filled my shop.

That did it! With a cry of pure desperation, I threw myself at him, tackling him to the floor before he could do anything that would damage my precious merchandise. Should I shake him by the collar, making sure his head connected with the floor once per cycle? I should, shouldn't I? That would be justice, that would be righteous fury, that would be better than he deserved. Th-this…equipment killer! A good beating was no less than what he needed!

The jingle of bells announced another customer.

"Go away, I'm BUSY!" I screamed without paying attention to who was at the door.

The sound of amused chuckling drew my attention to the newcomer and when I saw who it was, I felt my cheeks flush rapidly. No, forget my cheeks; I'd be willing to bet that my entire face was as red as a tomato by now.

"Kirito!" I exclaimed in unfeigned surprise. Then, I realized what this situation might look like. Me, straddling the boy in black, hands on his collar as if I intended to shake him down…or strip him bare. If this was an anime, either me or the boy underneath me would be protesting "this isn't what it looks like!" right about now. To be honest, I _really_ wanted to say that line right now.

"Yo, Haseo," Kirito greeted the boy I had pounced on.

"Wait—you two know each other?" I asked, my brain slowly making sense of things. Now I knew why those persistent bouts of déjà vu had been bugging me ever since the grey-haired boy, apparently named Haseo, had entered my shop. Because almost the same exact sequence of events had occurred when Kirito had first come to my store.

"Yeah, sorry Liz," Kirito answered, unable to contain his grin. "I couldn't resist giving you a little bit of a shock, so I told Haseo that he should try testing out the durability of your weapons."

I resisted the urge to clobber him with my blacksmith's hammer. It wouldn't have done anything anyway, since players are protected in town areas. Why, oh why did I have to fall in love with _this_ person out of all the male players in SAO? His relationship with Asuna, my best friend in-game, notwithstanding, it seemed like a third of what he did was planned in order to goad a reaction out of me.

"So," I replied, probably sounding a little more irritated than I actually was. "What did you come here for?"

"Well, that guy really does need a new set of weapons," Kirito said. "He's clearer-tier, but his gear's a little outdated so I recommended you as a blacksmith. What was it you needed exactly, Haseo?"

The boy, Haseo, had picked himself up off the ground and was eyeing me warily, as if expecting me to attack him again. _As if!_ _I'm_ the one that should be keeping an eye on him. That chainsaw/sword thing really made me shiver. Probably because I'd never seen a weapon with moving parts like that in SAO before.

"A new broadsword and a pair of decent daggers would be nice," he answered.

I gave him curious look, "A _pair_ of daggers? Are you trying to imitate Kirito or something? [Dual Swords] is a unique skill, so even if you equipped two weapons, the only thing you'd be doing is making it impossible to use your [Sword Skills]."

"You do have some in stock, right?" Kirito asked.

"Actually, no," I admitted. "I've been so busy with making gear for mid-level players lately I haven't had a chance to go out farming for higher-end materials recently."

"Damn," Kirito muttered. "I was hoping to avoid having to trouble you. Have you heard of any rumors about decent smithing material drops lately? I'll go with Haseo and farm them."

"Now that you mention it, I heard an interesting story the other day that might interest you, Kirito," I replied. "Have you heard of [Hephaestus' Forge]? Supposedly, there's a secret area where you can re-forge your weapons into a stronger version if you have the proper materials and a high level blacksmith with you. You've been using [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser] for a while now, right? I know you've said that you don't want to discard them for something better which is why you kept reinforcing them, but you're reaching the maximum reinforcement attempts. Why don't we go see if that rumor is true and while we're at it, we can try it with your friend's equipment too?"

Kirito had an odd look on his face, the sort that young children have when they're trying to hide something they know will get them in trouble with their parents.

"What is it, Kirito?"

"Ah, yeah. I also need some repairs done on my swords," Kirito said, not meeting my eyes and looking down at the floor.

"Already?" I exclaimed. "It's only been two days since you brought them in for maintenance. What happened?"

Sheepishly, he drew the weapons from the sheaths on his back and handed them to me gingerly. I took one look at them and gasped.

Both swords were nicked and cracked all along their blades. Even if it was just a visual effect meant to portray the weapon's state of durability, it was painful to see one of my greatest masterpieces, [Dark Repulser], in such a sorry state. I tried not to move the weapons around too fast, I got the feeling that the slightest shock would shatter them beyond repair. Placing both weapons on the counter for now, I turned to Kirito with all the fires of hell burning in my eyes.

"Ki- Ri- To," I enunciated loudly. "What…Did…You…DO…TO…MY…SWORD!"

-o-

Five minutes later, I felt a little better, having vented my anger at the two boys in my shop.

"Oh, is that what happened?" I asked, narrowing my eyes and looking at the two boys to try and detect any hints of concealed truths.

It was mostly an act by this point, as I had largely forgiven the two of them by now. The deciding factor in how quickly my displeasure at the two of them had cooled off was sitting on my lap right now, laughing childishly at the looks of mollification on her "Papa" and "Oji-chan's" faces.

I had been surprised when a third person had entered my shop in less than 10 minutes. When she ran to Kirito, calling him "Papa," and excitedly talked about how amazing the waterwheel outside looked, I had been nearly overcome with astonishment. I mean, I knew he and Asuna had gotten married in the game, but how was it possible for them to have a kid here? In a virtual world? It had taken a fairly long explanation from Kirito for me to finally wrap my head around it but at least I was up to speed.

I handed Kirito back his swords, good as new, and warned him to be more careful in the future. Both with the equipment and with his own health. Then, I finally got around to looking at Haseo's equipment to assess how effective they were.

"[Broad Legged]", I said, taking a look at the item description. "I've never heard of such a weapon before. Let's see—It's classified as a broadsword. The weight on this thing is extremely high for a mid-level equip. Probably not something you want to use on the front-lines though, just based on its mediocre attack power."

Well, it would make sense that I've never seen this weapon in the game before. According to Kirito, Haseo somehow ended up in SAO while playing a different game. I kind of felt sorry for the gray-haired boy, stuck in this world with us until the game was cleared. He seemed to be taking it pretty well though. Don't get me wrong, I still didn't like him much considering how he was about to chop up one of my products and how I had found out that _he_ was technically the one responsible for the sorry shape Kirito's weapons were in.

"So, what floor did rumor place [Hephaestus' Forge] on?" Kirito asked

"The 68th floor," I replied. "It's a story that has been spreading amongst smiths recently, but no one's been able to confirm it yet."

"If I remember correctly, that's the one with a ton of mechanical enemies," Kirito remarked. "It was a pain fighting them since any damage type except [Blunt] is less effective against them. The mobs also have a ton of HP relative to their level and hit hard, but at least they're reasonably slow to balance things out."

"And lucky for you, you have a master macer coming with you to provide all the blunt trauma you could possibly hope for," I declared proudly.

"Are you sure you'll be alright on the 68th floor?" Kirito asked. "We had enough trouble on the 55th floor the last time we partied."

"D-don't look down on me!" I retorted. "That was a long time ago and I'm sure the two of us can handle it."

I didn't say "the three of us" because frankly, despite Kirito's assurances, Haseo didn't really look like the type who would be very strong. And to be honest, I wasn't all that confident in how well I'd do on the 68th floor if I was alone. The only reason why I was able to say what I did was because I knew Kirito would probably be more than enough to handle anything short of a boss-class monster (and maybe even that as well.)

"I'm coming as well," Yui said as soon as we made our intentions to get going clear. She had been running all around the shop looking at everything I had on display while we talked.

"Kirito, is it really alright to bring her along?" I whispered.

He took one look at his daughter and then replied, "She can handle it. But I'd better send Asuna a message before we go, considering what happened the last time the two of us had an adventure."

We made for an odd party as we set off: Two swordsmen in black, an unarmed little girl in a nightgown, and a fluffy pink-haired blacksmith wearing a dress that didn't look anything akin to what a smith _should _be wearing.

* * *

*notes: A slower paced chapter this time around in order to set the stage for the next adventure and to get the characters from the two worlds a little more acclimated to one another. As you may have figured out, the next chapter will include fight scenes; whether the four make it to the floor opening party on the 77th floor in time is another issue.

In order to simplify things, the .Hack characters have had most of their skills converted to equivalent SAO ones, although they may pull out one or two tricks left over in their character data and completely surprise SAO-verse players from time to time. Items have mostly been re-coded by the system so that they don't work, the reason being that many of the items in .Hack are one-shot magic abilities.

I enjoyed writing from Liz's perspective. Out of the entire female cast, she's actually tied for my favorite (along with Sinon from the light novels if you're curious.) She doesn't get much screentime, but I've always been partial to people willing to fill supporting roles in MMOs, having played as a tank, healer, and dps myself. As usual, feel free to leave criticisms, suggestions, question, or comments in a review or a PM.


	5. Chapter 5: Forge of the Lame God, Part 2

**Chapter 5: Forge of the Lame God, Part 2**

_November 13__th__, 2024, 68__th__ floor of Aincrad, Lizbeth_

My first thought upon seeing the 68th floor was that I had somehow been transported back in time to ancient Greece. Marble pillars lined the edge of the square where the four of us materialized. Mosaics painting out the stories of heroes, gods, and monsters covered the entire plaza. Even though I hardly ever paid attention in my classes on Western Literature, I could recognize several of the myths the artwork was based on.

"So this is what the 68th floor looks like," I said, looking around in amazement.

"You've never been here before?" Haseo asked. I looked at him in irritation; the way he had said that made it sound like never having come to this floor was a failure or something.

"No, I haven't," I replied. "You have a problem with that?"

"Nah," he answered. "It's just that I thought, with you bragging about how you're a master macer back there, that you would have been here along with the rest of the front-liners."

"Haseo oji-chan," Yui said, tugging on his sash. "It's not good to pick on girls. You need to be nicer!"

I gave Yui a pat on the head in appreciation and smirked at Haseo. "It's pretty bad when a child needs to tell you something that should be common sense."

"Common sense, huh?" Haseo noted. "I guess that's true." My smirk widened until he added, "Though I don't think a girl who pounces on a boy around her own age minutes after they first met should have any right to say those words."

_GAH!_ Th-this guy had the nerve to omit just enough detail to make it seem like _I_ was the crazy one? I was about to give him a scathing rebuttal when I noticed the look that passed between him and Kirito. It was just a minor gesture, but it told me everything I needed to know. The two of them were working together...ganging up to keep me disoriented. I'll show them...well, maybe just Haseo; I've never managed to faze Kirito despite trying several times in the past. But first, I'll need an ally.

"Yui-chan," I said to the girl next to me. "Can you help me with something?"

When she, surprisingly, agreed with my request with a bright smile and cheerful "Ok!," I could barely keep an evil grin from forming on my face. I'll show him alright…

-o-

The dungeon looked a lot like one of those cultural heritage sites you see on travel shows. The entrance was in the back of a large Grecian temple dedicated to the god of the forge. I could see how rumors that [Hephaestus' Forge] was hidden within had started. Inside, the dungeon was a twisted mess of a labyrinth, probably based off of the original myth. Luckily, Kirito had a large chunk of the mapping data already from his time clearing the floor. That meant that we could start our search in the areas that were still unknown.

"Just a warning, you three," he said looking serious. "There're a lot more traps on this floor a compared to normal, so be careful of what you touch. Also, Haseo, can you be the rear guard? My [Searching] skill should pick up most of the enemies as they approach, but one of the nastier surprises on this floor is that parts of the walls can open up and let out enemies that were hidden inside. Usually behind us."

"Sure thing," Haseo answered, hefting that oversized broadsword of his. Where did that confidence of his come from?

Our first enemy showed up about 5 minutes into the dungeon. As Kirito had mentioned inside my shop, it was a mechanical soldier. Made entirely of bronze, the hoplite armor it wore seemed superfluous. It wielded a spear and carried a large circular shield. Kirito and I went forwards to meet it in combat while Haseo stayed behind with Yui to watch our backs for additional enemies.

Kirito knocked the enemy's spear and shield to the sides with a well-placed sweep with his dual swords and called for a [Switch]. I followed up with the war hammer skill [Cross Guard], a mid-level skill that dealt a vertical downwards smash followed by a horizontal swing left to right. It was a good skill with a short cool-down and had a decent chance of staggering the enemy even if the hits were blocked. Of course, with Kirito providing openings for me to attack, we made short work of the enemy.

"How was that?" I asked Haseo smugly, intending to rub my performance in his face.

"Did you say something?" he asked as he turned to face me. He casually flipped his broadsword onto his shoulder, the movement splitting the head of a soldier that had been standing behind him. That was when I noticed the utterly trashed forms of two more mechanical enemies at his feet. With a shattering sound, the three enemies exploded into shards of light and faded into the air.

What a showoff.

"Nothing," I said, turning my head with a "hmmph!"

About half an hour in and after several more fights with minor enemies ranging from mechanical spiders to a massive marble golem, we arrived at the edge of what Kirito had mapped. From now on, we'd have to be much more cautious since there was no knowing what lay ahead. I gripped my mace nervously; I rarely entered the labyrinths on each floor, preferring to farm for materials out in the field. I don't know how Kirito does this day after day. The feeling of "the unknown" was nearly overwhelming.

Our first real challenge came in the form of a lever attached to the wall at a dead-end.

"Just seeing that makes me want to pull it," Haseo noted, reaching out towards it.

Kirito grabbed his wrist, "I agree, but it could be a trap. Since we're penned in, that makes it even more likely."

I agreed with Kirito on this point. Something _this_ obvious just had to be a trap. Two years of living with video game logic taught me that the more innocuous something looked, the more deadly it probably was.

"But, you know. It's just like a big red button that says 'Don't push,'" Haseo replied. "You just can't help but want to press it."

"True," Kirito said, sounding like he was wavering. "But aren't warnings usually posted for a reason? And pressing strange buttons is never a good thing in MMOs."

Haseo thought about it for a moment. "That is true," he admitted, "but there _isn't_ a warning posted here. And maybe whoever designed this labyrinth figured that players would think that this was an obvious trap and just walk by it without pulling the lever."

After about five more minutes of back and forth argument between the two boys where they came up with point after counterpoint and wherein I was getting more and more confused just trying to follow their twisted logic, I screamed, "I can't take this anymore!" And ignoring the startled look on both their faces, I yanked down as hard as I could on the lever.

A loud alarm sounded and the wall in front of me slid open to reveal five mechanical soldiers standing in single file. As I backed up, they stepped forwards into the corridor. About 15 meters behind us, the wall on both sides opened up and five more soldiers stepped out, blocking our way out.

"Nicely done," Haseo noted dryly.

"Hey!" I retorted. "It was your fault for not being able to come to a decision! Besides, if things get bad, we can just crystal out."

"Well, I'd hate to lose the time we already spent inside," Kirito said calmly as he faced down the enemies in the front. "Let's just try to get past these mobs."

Kirito charged in ahead and unleashed an insanely fast combo on the first enemy before they could all get into formation. Its feeble attempts to block Kirito's [Sword Skill] were battered to the side with the first swing and the second hit, a thrust, caught the enemy right in the chest. An explosive light effect told me that Kirito had struck the "core" of the enemy which, for this type of foe, was its weak-point. He leapt backwards as soon as he dealt with the first enemy, avoiding a jab from the soldier immediately behind the first.

The enemies after the first proved to be more difficult to deal with. I remembered hearing in history class how the ancient Greeks fought in formation. Whoever programmed their behavior had obvious heard those tales; they locked their shields together and slowly marched closer to us. A quick glance behind me told me that the ones behind us were moving in a similar fashion.

I was starting to feel just a bit nervous at this point when Kirito put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't worry Liz, I'll protect you." My heart skipped a beat; it just wasn't fair how he could do that to me without even trying.

"Hey Haseo, want to have a contest?" he asked. "Last one to finish off their group has to buy the winner a full meal and dessert of their choice?"

"Sounds interesting," Haseo answered with a grin. "But isn't that a little unfair? You only have four on your side now and I've got five."

"Call it a handicap," Kirito replied. "Since you have more aoe capability than me."

"Fine," Haseo agreed.

"Hey! Don't leave us (me) out!" Yui and I protested at the same time.

"Alright then. Liz, you're on my team," Kirito said. "Yui, just stay here and cheer for Haseo, alright? Try to be as distracting as possible; I'll give you half of my dessert if I win, ok?"

It seemed like Kirito really wanted to win. Boys will be boys, I guess.

"Oh come on," Haseo protested. "How is that even fair?"

But Kirito had already charged in again, swords glowing as another [Sword Skill] activated. Haseo gave a loud sigh of exasperation and ran to meet his group of enemies. Behind him, Yui was jumping up and down, calling out things like "Go Haseo oji-chan, fight-o!" I had things to do other than to watch that adorable performance so I joined Kirito at the fore, looking for a way that I could help.

Attacking head-on would probably be stupid. After all, 4 interlocked shields is a pretty tough wall to break apart. The best way to take them down would probably be to flank them, but the narrow corridor here made that option impossible. I remembered reading about a battle that had happened a long time ago under similar conditions; it didn't end well for the Greeks, but the casualties the other side took were supposed to have been horrendous.

"Any plans?" I asked Kirito. "Those shields look like a little hard to try and break through."

"We could flank them," he noted. I had already thought of that, but I really had no idea how we were going to pull it off.

"Ok," I replied hesitantly. "How are we going to do that?"

"Stay here for a few seconds," Kirito said. Breaking into a sprint, he ran alongside the wall and then switched to running up the wall. One somersault later, he was behind the enemy formation. "There we go," he said in a satisfied manner.

"Are you an idiot?" I shouted at him. "You just jumped over 4 spear-wielding mobs. You could have been stabbed!" He does the most illogical things in this game sometimes. Now that I think about it, that's probably why he amazes me so much; because half the time, his plans actually work.

"Hey, we managed to flank them didn't we?" he asked, attacking the enemy on the far left as the entire formation turned to face him. It exploded in a shower of light by the second hit; Kirito had obviously out-leveled the monsters on this level by a considerable margin.

Since they had just exposed their backs to me, I charged in and dealt a punishing blow to the back of the enemy in the middle of the three that were left. Their reaction speed was fairly slow and their movements were really clunky. In fact, if I was fighting any of these guys one on one, I'd probably be able to defeat it without getting hit; I should make a note of that in case I ever feel like grinding skill levels for my mace.

About 2 minutes later, the last monster on our side dissolved into nothingness. We would have finished off the group a lot quicker, but Kirito was obviously holding back in order to let me get as much damage as possible in on the remaining enemies. The reason for that was the increased experience I would get; he really was a considerate person at times.

"Yo Haseo," he called out in a friendly manner, although he was clearly also gloating. "It looks like you're having a bit of trouble there."

I turned around where I found, much to my surprise, that Haseo was still squaring off with all five of his enemies. Yui continued cheering for him and made little comments every time his weapon bounced off the shield wall in front of him. However, the enemy was unable to attack Haseo successfully either, because the gray-haired boy would easily parry the thrusts.

I noticed something strange about Haseo's combat style. "Why aren't you using [Sword Skills]?" I asked. In SAO, it was common sense to use skills in order to break through enemy guards. I thought he was strong before, but could it be that this guy was a total noob?

"[Sword Skills]?" he asked, sounding a bit confused.

"I showed you the skills list this morning, Haseo oji-chan," Yui chimed in.

"Oh, I'd forgotten," he admitted. "Besides, I've never used them before, so I'm not even sure exactly how to activate them. Not to mention I thought that they're just a convenience for people who aren't able to swing their swords with any accuracy normally."

I couldn't resist poking fun at him a little after all the torment he'd put me through. "For someone with so much raw power, you're a bit of a noob, aren't you?"

"I'm NOT a noob!" he screamed back at me indignantly. Ohoh? It seems that I've touched a bit of a nerve with that one…

Haseo lowered his stance and brought his sword behind him, parallel to the floor. Based on the glowing light forming around his blade, he was finally going to unleash a [Sword Skill]. Not that I expected it to do much against that wall of shields in front of him. But once again, Haseo surprised me. It was only a low level 2-handed sword skill, [Cleave], which hit everything in a frontal arc within melee range, but all five enemies instantly shattered into fragmented pixels the moment the blade touched them. That shouldn't be possible; [Cleave]'s damage was lowered by 25% for every enemy it hit. 1 enemy hit meant it dealt full damage, two would mean that each took 75% damage, and so forth. With 5 enemies, each enemy would be hit for under a third of the full damage. That wasn't even counting in the fact that these enemies had a lot of health and damage mitigation for everything except [Blunt].

"Huh," Haseo commented. "I guess these [Sword Skills] things are pretty useful after all."

It was then that I gave Yui the signal that we had agreed on and told her what to say.

"Haseo oji-chan, what's a noob?"

The question, which had come out of nowhere, seemed to startle the boy considerably. Just as planned. I had suspected that he would be unable to do anything when faced with the considerable power that Yui's innocence carried; he was always off-guard around her. All that had been needed was the right moment and the right trigger.

"Don't bother your uncle," I said to Yui softly, but loud enough for him to hear. "He probably doesn't know what it means. You see, Yui-chan, a noob is a person who doesn't know the first thing about playing the game he's in."

Haseo could only watch, dumbfounded, as Yui exclaimed happily, "Haseo oji-chan's a noob!"

Game, set, and match.

* * *

_November 13__th__, 2024, 68__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

"Oh, come on. It's not so bad," I said, patting Haseo on the back.

Behind us, Yui was cheerfully skipping along, singing a tune she had made up; a song in which half the words seemed to be "noob." It probably wouldn't have bothered him so much if Lizbeth wasn't waving her finger and forearm back and forth as if she was a conductor.

It turns out that pulling the lever might have been the correct thing to do after all, because when we took a look inside the panel where the soldiers had come out from, we found that it led into a long corridor. Unlike the rest of the labyrinth, the walls were decorated with intricate reliefs cast in bronze. It certainly looked like a hallway that would lead to the forge of a craftsman god. Leave it to Kayaba Akihiko to hide our goal behind an obvious trap that players would almost certainly avoid.

The hallway ended in a door that was about the same size as a boss door. Unlike a boss door, it was made entirely of bronze and appeared bright rather than dreary and ominous. Turning towards the rest of my party, I told them to ready teleportation crystals just in case. The light-hearted atmosphere faded away nearly instantaneously and they nodded to show that they were ready. I opened the door and walked in cautiously, drawing my swords as I walked inside.

A blast of heat greeted me as soon as the doors opened soundlessly. I stared in amazement at the sight around me. Piles upon piles of works ranging from weapons to parts of the mechanical soldiers we had been fighting on our way here. Massive billows on the sides of the room automatically funneled air into oversized furnaces. It was, without a doubt, the workshop of a smith. A golden anvil fit for a god stood at the center of the room.

"Uwah," Liz exclaimed as she took in her surroundings. "This is amazing. I want to move my shop here."

"Don't go running in alone," I warned her, remembering how she had run ahead of me in the crystal field on our first adventure. Aside from the bellows, nothing in the room was moving. It was definitely _too_ still in this room for my liking. "Let's look around for something that'll trigger an event. But be careful and stay close."

The most suspicious looking object in the room would have to be the golden anvil at the center so I walked over to it slowly, keeping an eye on my surroundings to make sure we weren't ambushed. Reaching the center without anything happening, I let out a long breath.

"Well—that was anti-climactic," I said in disappointment. "I guess you're supposed to use that hammer over there to upgrade our weapons, Liz." I pointed at a golden hammer that lay against the side of the anvil.

She hesitated for just a fraction of a second before picking up the smith's tool. The moment she did, however, metal bars shot up from the floor, creating a cage around the anvil and trapping the three of us inside. I say "the three of us" because Haseo had apparently been ready for such a trap and dove to the side just before he was caught. He didn't have time to celebrate his good fortune, because more bars shot up out of the ground around where he had landed and imprisoned him as well.

A booming voice shook the room. "It seems that the rumors of thieving mortals in my realm were true. Accomplices of Prometheus perhaps, come to steal more flames from my forge? "

A large man, roughly 5 meters tall, heavily muscled, and wearing a blacksmith's apron over a white tunic entered from the far side of the chamber. He had a full beard and curly reddish-brown hair. The only word to describe the expression he had on his face as he looked down upon us was disdain. The name over his head read [Hephaestus]; at least we found who we were looking for.

"I should have your heads for this transgression," he continued. "For to anger a god is folly. To desecrate his temple, an unforgivable offense."

It seems like we had triggered some sort of quest or event. The question was: How were we going to complete it? It seems that Liz had figured this out as well. NPCs in the game were programmed to recognize simple responses; maybe we had to deny his accusation?

Before we could however, [Hephaestus] limped over to the cage where Yui, Liz, and I were held. He ignored Yui and myself, instead bending down to inspect Liz. His expression softened a little.

"But it seems you have a craftsman—woman, I should say, of not inconsiderable skill amongst you. Perhaps you are not thieves as I first thought, but pilgrims come to pay homage…" [Hephaestus] mused.

Even though he said that in what was, relative to before, a whisper, it seemed that being addressed directly was intimidating for Liz because she barely managed to squeak out, "O-of course we're not thieves…"

I found myself nodding frantically in agreement even though the logical side of me told me that this was just an in-game event and that I had no reason to react since Liz's response should have been enough to participate in whatever special event this was.

"Very well mortals, I shall give you a chance to persuade me that your hearts are true and your minds sound," the god of the forge declared. "Craftswoman, demonstrate your skill and ingenuity for me while under pressure. Swordsmen, you too must demonstrate for me the purity of your hearts through your blades."

[Hephaestus] limped over to the door he had entered from and snapped his fingers. The bars of our cages disappeared into the floor. "Let the trial begin," he announced, to which two panels in the walls of the circular room slid open.

Four bronze soldiers stepped into the room from either side. Compared to the ones we fought outside, these were larger. That meant, based on how MMOs usually worked, that these were tougher. Probably stronger and faster too.

"I'll handle the ones on the left. Haseo, you take the right. Liz, you figure out what he wanted you to craft," I said. I found myself looking forwards to this event; it was unlike anything I've seen so far in SAO.

"Craft what? With what?" Liz exclaimed, sounding panicky. "I left all of my stock and my smith's hammer in the shop!"

I had no answer for her, so I just shouted back at her as I ran forwards to meet the enemy, "I don't know, just pick up something off the ground and swing that golden hammer at it."

"Blacksmithing _ISN'T_ that simple, you idiot!" she screamed back. Nevertheless, she picked up the golden hammer hesitantly and tested it by swinging it a few times against the anvil.

Luckily for us, it seemed that the monsters that spawned didn't automatically target Liz. Rather, they seemed to go after whoever had the most [Hate] as a unit. Which at the moment, was me for the enemies spawning from the left. From the sounds of battle coming from behind, Haseo was similarly busy.

My adversaries, each bearing the same name of [Hoplite Colossus], weren't as well coordinated as a unit as the ones that had formed a shield-wall in the hallway, but they were still rather formidable and had longer reach than the ones we faced previously. Both hits of my initial attack, [Double Circular] struck home, but only the combo only did about 30% damage to my target. Then, another of the colossi tried to impale me from the side, forcing me to dodge with a step backwards.

Usually when I fight, I try to engage only one enemy at a time so that I don't get overwhelmed. That doesn't mean that I don't know how to deal with multiple enemies at once in SAO, but that I would prefer not to since the chances of slipping up and getting killed are much higher. A shattering sound told me that Haseo had killed his first enemy. A brief normal combo, followed by a hard parry and another [Double Circular] earned me my first kill moments later.

"Hey! I just got two drops of [Olympian Bronze Ingot]," Liz shouted over the din of battle. "I think that's what I'm supposed to craft with."

Well, that was one load off my mind, but I had other problems to worry about. Namely this annoyingly persistent mechanical giant that was trying to turn me into a Kirito-kabob. Backing up a few steps, I found myself bumping into something and I almost attacked out of instinct. Luckily I didn't, because it was Haseo.

"Duck," he said. My honed battle instincts overrode my desire to ask "why?" His broadsword passed over where my head had been a split-second ago and cut through the colossus that had been targeting me.

From my position, I could see another enemy approaching his back. "Jump," I said, and as he leapt over my head, I lashed out with [Double Circular]. The hoplite must have already taken a good deal of damage because it went down in one hit.

The loud clang of hammer striking metal told me Liz was doing her job. But I couldn't spare the time to see what she was making since Haseo and I had to focus on our task: staying alive. The two of us moved about a lot in order to avoid getting hit in a fray that was becoming increasingly more chaotic. Several times, we combined our strikes to take down an enemy that was blocking off our movement.

Despite how efficiently the two of us worked as a team, the number of enemies in the room kept increasing. I'd estimate that the two of us took down an enemy every 15 seconds on average, while a new enemy spawned every 10 seconds. The room was fairly large which meant that even the addition of a few extra enemies wouldn't be too bad, but there seemed to be no end to them. If this kept going on for too long, we'd be overcome by sheer numbers. Still, things weren't looking too bad five minutes in. That is, until a loud grinding sound filled the room and a giant bronze golem, looking like a larger version of [Hephaestus] stepped inside. A label over its head read [The Forge-master].

"Um, Liz. Not to rush you or anything, but how close to done are you?" I asked nervously, unable to keep the apprehension out of my voice.

"Almost there, I think," Liz answered. "It's almost like this hammer is building the parts for what I'm supposed to make on its own. At least, I'm not choosing what I'm making right now."

I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw Liz standing knee-deep in a pile of assorted bits of machinery. Well, I hope she knew what to do with all those parts in the end, because things were not looking too good right now. From the expression on Haseo's face, he was thinking the same exact thing I was. In a brief pause in combat, I took out a health potion and drank it; my health had just fallen into the yellow zone a moment ago.

"This should be fun," Haseo stated, trying to sound casual as he decapitated a colossus with a backhanded swing.

"Yeah, a walk in the park," I replied, finishing off another of the hoplites with a diagonal slash across its chest. Something about having another guy close to my own age to compete with made me want to pretend I did this sort of thing every other day…as a warm-up.

[The Forge-master] attacked us in earnest then, swinging an enormous war hammer with surprising speed. But what made the attacks difficult to avoid was how much area each swing covered. Observing his patterns, it looked like getting in close might actually keep me in a blind-spot. Taking a chance, I dashed in and starting attacking.

As predicted, the boss couldn't hit me with his hammer this close in. That didn't stop him from trying to step on me though, and I had to dance and roll around to avoid his sandaled foot. Haseo was opting to stay just outside of range, moving in to deal one or two hits before retreating to a safer distance. Of course, the remaining hoplites tried their best to kill us, but more often than not, they were smashed apart by the boss's wild swings well before coming within range of us.

About two minutes of frantic dodging, hacking, and slashing later, Liz shouted, "It's ready. You two probably should get back here for this."

Haseo and I both hit the boss with a [Sword Skill] at the same time, throwing him off balance long enough to retreat back to the anvil. _What is that?_ I wondered as Liz turned what she had made to face [The Forge-master]. Mounted on a tripod, it looked like what you would get if you combined a Gatling gun with a fire hose. As we reached her side, Liz pulled a trigger attached to the back end of the strange contraption. What happened next caused me to reach a new level of appreciation for the pink-haired blacksmith. It also made me thank the powers that be that she was on our side.

With a roar, flames poured out the front of the barrel of the weapon she had made. It couldn't be called a flamethrower; the stream of fire wasn't concentrated enough to be considered one. Instead, it literally turned half the room into a blazing inferno, consuming everything it touched. Even though I knew the heat I felt was generated by the [Nerve Gear] I wore and that it couldn't harm me in real life, I threw my hands in front of my face to shield myself from the intensity of those flames.

When she released the trigger, the fire instantly disappeared. Puddles of molten metal stained the marble floor where the boss and the remaining colossi had previously stood. Only one thing survived on that side of the room, and he was clapping his hands enthusiastically.

"Well done. Well done indeed. To use [Greek Fire] in such a way…" [Hephaestus] said. "A splendid performance; such talent and perseverance must not go unrewarded."

He walked forwards to meet us, stopping in front of the golden anvil.

"Warriors, it would be my honor to re-forge your blades if you wish," he declared. "I shall imbue them with the strength of Olympus itself! Lady blacksmith. If you would, I require my hammer."

Liz handed over the golden hammer that had served us well during the event. It grew in size to accommodate the god's hand. Moments later, I handed [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser] to the god of the forge, hoping that he wouldn't alter them too much. [Hephaestus] heated up both of my swords in a nearby furnace and once they had begun to glow, he started hammering them, sending sparks shooting so high into the air that they nearly struck the ceiling. Liz was captivated by the sight; as a blacksmith, watching a master at work was probably inspiring for her even if he was just an NPC.

When my weapons were done, [Hephaestus] handed them back to me, saying "treat them well." The weapons themselves looked exactly the same, but they felt a little heavier in my hands. Looking at the item description, I saw that the names of my swords had not changed but the stats had increased slightly. Most importantly, the number of reinforcement attempts had been reset.

After he had finished with [Elucidator] and [Dark Repulser], the god of the forge got to work on Haseo's armaments. When Haseo handed over all his weapons, [Hephaestus] looked over the arsenal and commented, "I see we have a connoisseur of blades in our midst."

As Haseo had twice the number of weapons I had, it took quite a bit longer for the smith to finish working on them. Like my own blades, the appearance of Haseo's arms did not change at all in the process; judging by the satisfied look on the other boy's face as he scanned the item descriptions afterwards however, he was satisfied with the results.

The god of the forge then announced, "I have fulfilled my promise to you, mortals. Now, depart from my realm for I have duties to attend to and must be off." But before he disappeared, he stopped in front of Liz.

"Lady blacksmith, your work today was truly magnificent," [Hephaestus] said in praise. "There is nothing that I can offer you in exchange for such a show of talent, except this. May it serve you as faithfully as it has served me."

Without fanfare, he held out the golden hammer he had used, returning it to Liz. She reached out for it hesitantly, almost as if she couldn't believe what was happening. Hugging it to her chest, she looked [Hephaestus] in the eye and said, "Thank you. I thought you were kind of scary at first, but you're not a bad fellow after all."

The lame god chuckled before fading away in a sea of golden sparks.

* * *

*notes: I've decided to list out the stats of the three .Hack characters at the time of this chapter to give you an idea of their respective levels of strength. It's done in the format of the ME for SAO.

**Haseo- Age- **18 (just turned), **Level**- 133, **Main Equipment**- [**Spin Gai Gu**] x2 (One-handed short sword, initially a single equip in the .Hack universe, they were split into two separate daggers in SAO in order for the system to support them), [**Broad Legged**] (two-handed straight sword), [**Scythe****Shouxiao**] (Scythe), **Skill Slots**- 14, **Equipped Skills**- _One-handed Short Sword_ (764), _Two-handed Straight Sword_ (743), _Scythe _(717), _Dual Swords _(764), _Weapons Adept_ (1000), _Battle Healing _(1000), _Parry_ (1000), _Sprint_ (945), _Emergency Recovery_ (1000), _Heavy Metal Equipment_ (953), _Extended Weight Limit_ (870), 3 unused slots.

Explanations: Haseo's weapon skill levels are lower than would be expected due to his former status as an Adept Rogue class in [The World: R2]. In exchange for versatility, they are less proficient with weapons than a specialist class would be. In SAO, the converted data means that his skill level with weapons is mediocre for all the weapons he can equip. The [Scythe] skill that Haseo has can be considered an [Extra Skill]; although the conditions for unlocking it are unknown, it is not a unique skill. The player version of [Scythe] is a toned-down version of the ones certain bosses use. [Weapons Adept] is a new unique skill coded into the program by Kayaba Akihiko after Haseo's entrance into the world. It allows a player to designate a default weapon of each type he is proficient in and allows him to switch seamlessly from one to another while in combat without using a menu. As an added effect, the recovery time after an attack or skill use can be decreased but not entirely negated by switching weapons.

**Alkaid**- **Age**- 17, **Level**- 94, **Main Equipment**- [**Binding Chord**]x2 (One-handed short sword), **Skill Slots**- 11, **Equipped Skills**- _One-handed Short Sword_ (1000), _Dual Swords_ (1000), _Parry _(903), _Battle Healing_ (913), _Acrobatics_ (912), _Light Metal Equipment_ (962), _Emergency Recovery_ (1000), _Sprint_ (975), _Searching_ (865), _Cooking_ (12), 1 unused slot

Explanations: As a pure [Twin Blade], Alkaid is more proficient with her weapons than Haseo since she uses one-handed short swords exclusively. All the skills listed here are self explanatory except for cooking, which she took up very recently (actually right around the time Kirito, Haseo, Liz, and Yui set off for the dungeon.)

**Silabus**- **Age**-20, **Level**- 83, **Main Equipment**- [**Empty Shadow**] (Katana), **Skill Slots**- 11, _One-handed Curved Blade_ (912), _Katana_ (854), _Light Metal Armor_ (906), _Parry_ (712), _Battle Healing_ (401), _Emergency Recovery_ (395), _Acrobatics_ (512), _Sales Negotiation_ (794), _Purchase Negotiation_ (768), _Tools Appraisal_ (868), _Equipment Appraisal_ (912)

Explanations: Silabus is less of a combat-oriented player than Haseo and Alkaid and as such, his weapons and battle skills are lower. However, he does have skills useful in becoming a shop keeper due to extensive experience running the guild shop back in [The World: R2]. Also, his combat skills are fairly high when compared to most technicians in the world of SAO so he cannot be discounted from participating in the front-lines.

Alright, writing all that out pretty much killed any chance of a long "author's notes" section. As usual, if you have any comments, questions, criticisms, suggestions, etc., leave a review or drop me a PM.

**Edit:** P.S.- For you history buffs out there, I realize that Greek fire wasn't anywhere near intense enough to slag bronze that quickly. But then again, video games operate somewhat on "what looks cool" which is why I'm using the excuse of "it was programmed that way as part of the event."


	6. Chapter 6: Questions and Beginnings

**Chapter 6: Questions and Beginnings**

_Novermber 13__th__, 2024, 77__th__ floor of Aincrad, Haseo_

"Hey, Kirito! You're late!" A man with spiky brown hair greeted us as soon as we teleported to the 77th floor. "I was thinking that maybe you bit the dust inside that dungeon or something."

"You would have known that wasn't the case if you'd bothered to check your friends list Klein," Kirito replied.

"And who's this? Sheesh, how do you manage to find cute girls everywhere you go in _this_ world of all places?" Klein exclaimed, pointing at Liz. He stammered a lot, trying to introduce himself to Liz; while it wasn't wholly incomprehensible, I doubted he made a decent first impression.

_And this guy thought she was cute? Her? As if!_ Ok, maybe I was still a little sore about the whole "noob" incident. I ignored Klein for now, as someone had just followed him into the square. Someone I hadn't seen in what seemed like a lot longer than the mere day it actually had been.

"Silabus!" I called out. "Where have you been? You should have sent me a message or something."

He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that Haseo," he apologized. "I got so caught up in events that I forgot. I've been out in the field all day with Klein and the rest of [Fuurinkazan] learning the ropes."

"Don't apologize," I answered. "I should have sent you a mail or something this afternoon."

It seems like Klein had finished his reunion with Kirito and had turned to face the last two members of his party, namely Yui and myself. His face turned white when he finally recognized me. I guess the armor change really did help preserve my anonymity. I had found out that my character model and outfits from [The World] overrode the appearance of the gear in this world unless I set the armor appearance to [Default]. Kirito had admitted that he had never seen that option before, so I assumed it was a convenience that was added recently.

"Is something wrong?" I asked Klein, who had backed up a step.

"Um—no, not really," he said, before whispering to Kirito. "Are you sure it's safe for him to be walking around this soon? I mean—"

"I can still hear you, you know," I said.

"Heh, my bad," Klein replied. "I just thought that maybe you didn't fully recover yet and that you should be resting. You were kind of out of it when we met the first time and not in a good way, if you know what I mean."

Ah, I had thought he was afraid I was going to lapse back into [Skeith]-induced insanity. Despite how this man looked like a bandit from one of those cheesy samurai films, I guess he wasn't such a bad guy.

"Don't worry about me," I answered. "I'm tougher than I look. And as for 'being out of it,' Yui here's helping me keep that in check."

"Yui?" Klein asked, finally noticing the girl that had been hiding behind me the entire time. "K-Kirito! What's this? Another one? Partying with not just one, but two girls at once? Does Asuna-san know about this?"

Kirito shut one eye and answered Klein as casually as he could. "Of course she does. After all, Yui's our daughter."

Leaving a motionless and speechless Klein behind, he called back to the rest of us as he walked out of the plaza. "Let's get going to the floor opening ceremony. We're already late, so I hope Asuna saved something for us. All the best food goes fast."

-o-

"So Haseo…What's this I hear about you going off and having an adventure without inviting me?"

The one asking me this question currently had me in a tight headlock. I tried to tap out but of course, she refused to let go unless I gave her a satisfactory answer. Silabus was giving me an apologetic look and trying hard not to get involved. Kirito was off for some alone time with Asuna at the moment and therefore couldn't help me explain anything. Liz was clearly enjoying this scene and Yui was content with observing her "oji-chan's" and "oba-chan's" odd behavior. Only one other person I might be able to count on and...dammit Klein, not only are you not helping, but what's with that envious expression on your face?

"Alright, alright, I'll explain," I exclaimed. We were starting to draw attention and the last thing I needed right now was for someone to link me to those screen captures of "the demon of the 76th floor."

After a short explanation that was (thankfully) backed by Liz, she finally pulled back and I was able to step away from the wall she had backed me into as I tried to placate her.

"You've learned to think things through a bit," she said with a smile.

"Huh?"

That sounded like a compliment, but also seemed vaguely insulting.

"Well, you know," she began. "The 'old' you would have been like 'ATOLIIIII!' and charged straight for the 100th floor without paying any attention to what was going on around you. The fact that you're taking the time to befriend people and prepare for what looks like a long road ahead of us…I don't know, it just makes me feel like you've grown a bit."

"Oh come on," I replied. "I don't think I was ever _that_ bad."

I do admit however, that she had done a very good impression of me screaming out names in a burst of emotion.

"The [Forest of Pain]."

Gah, I didn't think she would have heard _that_ particular story. SAO isn't the first time I've faced a dungeon with 100 stages. Back before I met Atoli, there had been someone I desperately wanted to save in [The World]. But in order to do so, I had thought that I needed more "power." Which was why the event in the [Forest of Pain] had enticed me. Rumor had it that whosoever made it to the center of that 100 tiered map would gain unrivaled strength. I had been a fairly low level back then, but I had charged straight for my goal without any thought of the consequences of my actions, not caring at all if I died in the game. I also happened to be one of only two people to have completed the event. In the end, I didn't find what I was looking for, but that one act set in motion a chain of events that led me to where I am today.

"Ok, you have a point. I guess," I conceded.

"Just promise me one thing, Haseo," Alkaid requested.

Naturally, I asked, "Ok, what is it?"

"Don't go running off on your own again. Even if it's a burden you feel only you can bear. Even if you're trying to keep us from getting hurt…"

That was a promise that I thought I could keep, although the last part worried me. I'd come to rely on my friends a lot; but if there's one thing I can't stand, it's seeing those around me in pain. So I agreed. Hesitantly, but I agreed. Looking away from my face for a moment, Alkaid materialized something in her hand and held it out for me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I told you a while back that if you wanted, I'd make you some ramen one day, right?" she replied, looking irked that I didn't just take the package without question. "Well, it's not ramen, but I still want you to try some of my cooking. It's nice that this world has a cooking skill, unlike [The World]."

How did our conversation turn in this direction? I don't really remember the details of our mail conversation about her cooking ability, but I'm pretty sure she was talking about instant ramen back then. So it was with some apprehension that I unwrapped the package and took a look.

"Hey, this actually doesn't look half bad," I noted. Indeed, it was completely indistinguishable from the sandwich Asuna had handed me this morning. If it tasted anything like _that_, I'd probably end up begging Alkaid to cook for me every day. "Well then, itadakimasu…"

I took a bite out of the sandwich, trying to sort out the flavors as they came. I lost track somewhere between "tuna" and "ketchup." I was just about to ask Alkaid what she had used for ingredients when I noticed that I couldn't speak or move. The sandwich fell to the ground, joined by my paralyzed body a second later.

"Oh wow," Liz exclaimed in amazement as she prodded me with a finger. "Stun, mute, paralysis, _and_ a weak poison. You've got to teach me how you did that. I've never seen an item that could hit a player with that many status ailments at once."

* * *

_November 13__th__ 2024, 77__th__ floor of Aincrad, Silabus_

The festivities had long since drawn to a close. The revelers were beginning to return to their homes or heading off to continue the party with a smaller group of friends. I had excused myself from our gathering and wandered off into the town without a destination in mind. I just needed some time to think.

"Hey, what's with the long face? I'd have been happy if I got a third of the attention some of the female players were giving you."

Klein joked as he clapped me on the back. He was a strange man, able to remain focused and cheerful despite being caught up in this game of death for two years now. I had heard from his friends that when Kayaba Akihiko had first announced his intentions, Klein had immediately gathered everyone together and taught them how to survive in this world. Most impressively, over the course of two years and despite being front-liners, no member of [Fuurinkazan] had died to date. Helping less experienced players in the world coupled with his overall personality...the man reminded me of Kuhn in more ways than one.

"I'm just trying to sort things out," I answered. "It's kind of hard to believe that I'm stuck here. I wonder how Gaspard is doing without us around. It's only been a day, but he's probably out of his mind with worry by now…"

"You're handling this pretty well. I think it took about 2 months before I fully accepted this absurdity," Klein replied, sitting down on a log.

Handling it well? I doubt it. If Haseo and Alkaid weren't here with me, I'd probably have cracked the moment I heard that I was stuck here. I'm such an idiot…I wanted to come with Haseo and help him find Atoli? I have no idea what would have happened if he didn't save us with [Skeith] on the 76th floor. Most likely, I would have died back there, never knowing what was going on.

"It might be a bit irresponsible of me to say this, but since there's not much you can do about your overall situation, why not try to enjoy what SAO has to offer?" Klein asked. "I mean, sure there's the whole 'dying in real life' thing that puts a damper on the experience, but there are plenty of safe ways to pass the time."

"I can't do that," I protested. "I need to get stronger so that I'm not a burden on Haseo. I said that I was going to help him get Atoli back."

"In that case, why not join us at [Fuurinkazan]?" Klein asked. A message popped up in front of me; [Klein has invited you to join 'Fuurinkazan']. When I hesitated, he added, "We could use a good player like yourself. And we can help you get adjusted to how the game works in the mean time so that you don't feel like you're dragging Haseo-san down. I mean, I'm not the best player around and we're not the best guild around, but we look out for one another…"

Considering his offer seriously, there was no downside to accepting the invitation. I would gain allies and be able to level more efficiently by grouping with them. And they were working towards clearing the game; if what Ovan had told Haseo was true, then we'd have to get to the hundredth floor in order to rescue Atoli; a goal that they shared with us in part. But a part of myself still held back. Because pressing the "accept" button on that message would mean accepting that SAO was the reality that I was entangled in.

"Well, don't worry about it if you don't want to," Klein continued. "Just send me a message if you want to party up again sometime. We'll probably see each other a lot in the near future in boss raid planning meetings."

I was left alone again with just my thoughts and the guild invitation window keeping me company. Somewhere off in the distance, party-goers were launching fireworks into the air and laughing merrily. Part of me said to just get it over with and press the accept button; another argued that doing so would be the first step to forgetting all about [The World] and [Canard]. Something as simple as joining a guild…was I unable to do even that?

"Oh? A guild invite, good for you Silabus."

Haseo walked up to me before he continued, "I was looking for you. You've been gone for a while now, so I was worried that you got lost or something."

"Hey Haseo…what would you do in my situation?" I asked.

My friend paused and thought for a moment. "I'd probably accept. It's not like Klein's a bad person in spite of how he looks. And you're the type of person who's more at ease when you're having fun with a group of friends, right?"

"But what about _our_ world? What about [Canard]?"

"I think you might have the wrong idea there," Haseo replied, looking at me questioningly. "It's not like we're forgetting what we left behind by actively participating in this world. [Canard] will be waiting for us when we get back. What we need to do now is focus on clearing the game, because that's the only way I know of where we can get Atoli back and return to our world."

"Are you going to join as well?" I asked. "I'm sure Klein would—"

Haseo interrupted me by shaking his head. "No, I just accepted Kirito's invite to [Knights of Blood]. But as long as we have each other on our friends list, we can contact each other anytime; I guess that's one upside to being unable to log out."

Haseo's words erased most of my uneasiness. I suppose that it couldn't hurt to join [Fuurinkazan]. From what I've seen of this game so far, it was impossible to do anything on the frontlines without backup. I'd heard from Klein that Kirito had been a solo player in the past, but that even he was starting to feel the limits of that play style recently. If I was going to be serious about helping Haseo and returning to [The World], there was no other option.

I pressed the button on the invite window.

* * *

_November 14__th__ 2024, 77__th__ floor of Aincrad, Alkaid_

"Would you care to answer a few questions for me? I'll make it worth your while."

A girl wearing a hooded cloak that didn't hide her curly brown hair or the strange whisker-like markings on her face had approached me shortly after midnight. Something about the whole getup made her look rather sleazy, though that might also have been an image she was actively promoting.

"I have no need for money," I answered. In fact, according to Asuna, I had what amounted to a small fortune in [Col] thanks to how all my Gp had been converted over.

But the girl persisted and proposed, "What about a trade in information?"

"There isn't an—," I replied before pausing. I had intended to say that there wasn't anything she could tell me that I would care to know, but that wasn't true. Because anything that might relate to Atoli and why we had all been sent to this world in the first place would be useful.

"Nihihi, I see I have caught your interest," she noted. "What kind of information are you looking for? As for what I want…I'd like to know about how you stumbled upon this world; a backdoor exit to this world would be extremely valuable to most players. Also, if you don't mind, information on your friend there in the black. Although the armor is different, I assume he's the one in this picture?"

She held out a newspaper. Without even taking a look at the front page, I knew what the contents of that printing were. So she had figured out Haseo's identity effortlessly; perhaps she had the resources available to her to make our search for Atoli easier? I know Haseo was determined to meet her on the 100th floor, but if there was the possibility of a shortcut—

"Fine," I relented, "I want to know if you have information on a blonde-haired girl who appeared recently, probably not much earlier than the three of us. As for descriptive features, she wears a large white hat with a tassel on the left side and she's a bit of an airhead. Any information about anything particularly strange happening not long before yesterday would be alright as well."

"A girl with that appearance and strange occurrences? That's not information I'd sell for a high price, but if you're willing to make the trade, I won't stop you," the girl said, looking surprised. "Very well. I'll admit that I'm curious enough about you newcomers that I'll be willing to go first in our exchange. Do we have a deal?"

I agreed to her conditions and she began. "I'll start with the request about strange occurrences first since I have information that comes from a reliable source for that one. It seems that on the 75th floor, 6…no it's now 7 days ago, Heathcliff, who was recently revealed to be our jailor, Kayaba Akihiko, mentioned offhand that 'an anomaly' had appeared in this world. I don't know when the person you're searching for disappeared from your world, but I don't believe in coincidences; that moment a week ago is likely when that person entered our world. It makes sense, since the forced entry of a new player would be an 'anomaly' that even the creator of this world would be concerned about."

A week ago, which meant five days before our own arrival. That made no sense at all since we had gone after Atoli almost immediately. "And the other thing I asked about?" I asked, setting aside my confusion for now.

"Nothing reliable," the girl admitted. "A rumor from someone who heard it from the person who supposedly witnessed it. In my business, such information is near worthless, but if it interests you, I'll go ahead."

"Go on," I replied. Even a rumor was better than having no leads at all. The worst case scenario would be that it turns out that the rumor was false and that I'd be back where I started.

"Well, the story goes that one night several days ago, a front-liner was out training in the middle of the night with some friends when he heard what sounded like a girl pleading for help. Since it was the 76th floor, obviously a dangerous area, he rushed towards the source of the voice to try to help. When he got there, he saw a glowing form and although he couldn't quite make out the features, he said it looked like a female staff-user from a distance. When he went closer, the girl had vanished into the darkness, leaving no trace that she had been there. Afterwards, he asked his friends whether they had heard the voice, but none of them admitted to having heard anything. As I said, just a rumor that reeks heavily of player superstition. That's all there is to the story so it's time for you to make good on our deal."

An unreliable rumor for sure; although come to think of it, there have been occasions where virtual "ghosts" like the one she had described appeared in [The World]; I've never seen one myself, but I'd heard stories. Well, a deal was a deal, so I told her my story, leaving out information on topics like [Data Drain] or [Avatars]. I explained away Haseo's going berserk on the 76th floor as an error in his player code from the transfer (which wasn't really a lie, considering how different his activation of [Skeith] was in this world.)

After a long pause, the girl replied, "So Atoli is the name of the friend you're looking for…Alright, if I hear anything about a player with that name or fitting that description, I'll let you know. For a price of course. Business is business after all. You can pay me back in information or [Col], your choice."

And extending her hand out, she finally introduced herself. "I'm Argo, pleased to make your acquaintance."

I shook her hand briefly and introduced myself as well. It felt strange doing that at the end of a meeting rather than at the start but then again, Argo seemed like a strange person. Still, having an information broker I could rely on would certainly be useful, especially with how unfamiliar I was with this world.

* * *

_November 14__th__ 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

I woke up late to find out that Asuna had left me another note.

_Kirito, I'm heading out to the 76__th__ floor with Alkaid to check out a rumor that might be connected to her missing friend. Breakfast is on the table, eat it before the durability reaches zero. Love –Asuna_

I checked the time, 10:31, before dashing down to the dining area that Asuna and I shared. Yui was already there nibbling away at a piece of toast when I arrived. There was still food left on the table; I resisted the urge to jump with joy before gratefully stuffing my face.

"Papa," Yui said. "There's a lot of people gathered outside who look like they're not going to leave. If you plan on going anywhere today, you might want to use a crystal."

"People gathered outside? Why?" I asked.

In particular, I was worryed that details of [Hephaestus' Forge] had slipped out and I would be pestered by hundreds upon hundreds of swordsmen looking for information on how to upgrade their gear. I intended to give the information away through one of the many player-written guides floating around SAO, but at a later date.

"It seems like they found out who Haseo oji-chan is and where he's staying. Which was why he crystalled to the 77th floor this morning in order to get away from them," Yui answered, pouting at the thought of having been left behind.

I took a look outside through the window in the dining area. Sure enough, a large crowd of players were waiting by the gate. It didn't look like they would disperse anytime soon. Well, that meant that I had no choice but to use a crystal if I wanted to get any hunting and mapping done today. What a pain, didn't those guys outside have anything better to do on a beautiful day like today?

"Yui," I asked, "do you want to join me in monster hunting today? With a little luck, we might run into Haseo."

I said that, but I knew our chances of finding him was essentially 100% if I used my [Tracking] skill to trace his steps. I intended to do so, since leaving him to solo on the top floor when he was just getting used to this world would be callous. Not to mention, I was still curious as to our new ally's abilities.

"Yep!" Yui answered, quickly finishing up her piece of toast and grabbing me by the hand. "Let's go, Papa."

I looked regretfully at the food on the table before tossing them into my inventory. I had eaten enough already, but the Asuna's cooking manipulated the taste generation engine of SAO to such a masterful degree that I didn't want to leave anything behind. Well, the food will taste just as good during lunch, I suppose.

-o-

The town on the 77th floor, [Fire Stone], had a very Western feel to it. I didn't notice it yesterday since it was the floor opening party, but it really gave me the impression that I had stepped into a frontier town. The roads were made of packed dirt and when the wind picked up, it would kick up clouds of dust. The buildings were flat-topped and few stood over two stories tall. It was warm on this floor, far warmer than most considering how the seasons in SAO reflected changes in the real world. Since it was now the middle of November, many floors were blanketed with snow or fallen leaves. Here, I was tempted to change from my longcoat to something with short sleeves.

I used [Tracking] to find the path that Haseo had taken after arriving. A glowing trail of footprints lead directly out into the field. The field on this floor was rather barren; rocky and with notable features aside from a few plateaus in the distance. The only plant life were low shrubs and a few cacti; I half-expected tumbleweed to roll by. Yui seemed to enjoy the scenery though, running barefoot over the rocks as she twirled about.

It didn't take too long to find Haseo since he hadn't gotten very far into the field. He was, however, surrounded by a group of four coyotes.

"Need any help?" I called out to him.

He looked up to where I was standing and replied, "I think I can handle this."

He switched his weapon to his scythe. Ducking under the monster that had leaped at him, Haseo twirled the weapon around once before striking a solid blow to the side of the enemy. He must have had a considerable amount of experience fighting against multiple enemies because even when the mobs coordinated their attacks in an effort to reach him, he still avoided taking any hits; I have never seen anyone as good as blocking or parrying as him aside from Heathcliff. I was wondering what he was waiting for when his scythe began to glow.

The coyotes had gathered into a single group for another run at him but before they could move, Haseo dashed forwards, scythe already moving in an upwards diagonal arc. The first strike sent them all skywards as the boy spun about with the momentum of his swing before jumping after them. The scythe continued along its programmed path as Haseo twisted in the air, angling the blade diagonally downwards as his [Sword Skill] continued. Two rapid spins, tracing out circles in the air, sent the four monsters downwards to the ground where they burst into fragments.

"Impressive," I noted as he landed on the ground shortly afterwards. "It looks like you're getting the hang of using [Sword Skills]."

"Thanks," the boy replied as he stowed away his scythe. "But I can still only activate them a little over half the time right now; this system is really way too different from what I'm used to."

"You'll get used to it," I said. "Why don't we group up? I'll show you how to [Switch] in. It'll be useful for boss fights."

Haseo proved to be a quick learner and in less than ten minutes, was able to either initiate or follow up on a [Switch] perfectly. We also learned during this training session that his scythe was a very poor choice of weaponry for partying. The wide swing radius meant that it often got in the way if he was switching in. And unlike his broadsword, the blade of the scythe would get stuck in the ground (at least outside) when he tried for a vertical swing downwards to avoid hitting anything to his side.

"You know," I said as we took a short break. "I've never seen you using any really high level skills. I mean, I can't say for sure with the [Scythe] skills, but the strongest attack I've seen you use so far is [Avalanche] and you get that somewhere in the early 700's for two-handers."

Haseo looked through his stats. "That sounds about right," he replied. "My weapons skills are all in the mid 700's."

"Seriously!?"

That was surprising. With a character level of 133, I would have expected him to have maxed out all of his equipped skills.

"[Adept Rogue], my class in the other world, has access to several weapon types that you pick at the character creation," he explained. "But in order to balance out that versatility, we have slower skill gains and need to grind the job levels for all the weapons we picked. I guess whoever's in charge of this game decided that these values would be appropriate."

"You're rather trusting," I noted. That was a lot of information pertaining to his character that he had just given out. I know it was common practice in other MMOs, but SAO wasn't your typical weekend fantasy romp to unwind after a week of hard work.

"And you're not?"

"Only around close friends," I replied honestly. "Because in this game, where information can mean life or death, sometimes it's better to be a little paranoid about things. I mean, you never know if an or—"

I silenced myself, remembering Asuna's warning about Haseo's past as a PKK. I had almost let the existence of orange guilds, which often attacked players for personal gain, slip out. I didn't know Haseo well enough to say for certain that he wouldn't go off hunting those players down ruthlessly if he found out.

"You never know if anyone will try to pull a fast one on you if you're not careful," I corrected myself. Even in my mind, it sounded like a lame cover-up for what I had almost said "SAO _is_ still an MMO in some ways. But I think that sometimes this fantasy world might be where we reveal our true personalities to others; where we're more open to our own desires, freed from the constraints of society."

Haseo was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, he asked me, "Kirito, you don't need to answer if you don't want to, but why are you fighting to clear this game?"

Why was I fighting to clear this game? The answer was obvious.

"I want to make it so that Asuna can return to the real world," I answered.

"That's all?"

His dismissive tone annoyed me. "What do you mean by 'that's all?'" I snapped back, sounding a quite a bit ruder than I had intended.

"No, I didn't mean it that way," Haseo replied, noting the expression on my face. "I think it's great that you're trying so hard for the sake of someone you love. What I meant was, is that the only reason? Are you only trying to clear the game for her sake and not your own? Because to me, it almost sounded like you prefer a world where you're 'freed from the constraints of society.'"

_Not for my own sake?_ That was absurd. Of course I wanted to be free from this world. But a little voice in my mind voiced its doubts. _Are you so sure about that? Between Kirito and Kirigaya Kazuto, which one is the _real_ you? Which one would you rather live as?_ I wished I could have silenced those thoughts more easily.

"Hmm, it seems like I've got some mail," Haseo noted, leaving me to my thoughts. His eyes widened when he saw the contents.

"Did something happen?" I asked, taking the chance to take my mind off what we had just been talking about.

"See for yourself," he said as he switched the message to public accessible. It read:

_Haseo, I've been trying to contact you since your player signal disappeared from our world. It's only been 10 minutes, but your lack of a response is worrying considering the safeguards I've placed on your character. If you received this message, please reply using the encrypted program I've included in this letter._

It was signed by someone named "Zelkova."

"What does this mean?" I asked.

I re-read the letter, trying to make sense of the inconsistencies. 10 minutes? But Haseo's been in our world for well over two days now.

"It means that maybe there _is_ a backdoor out of this world for everyone," Haseo mused. "The part about only 10 minutes having elapsed in our world either means that the message took much longer than usual to arrive or—"

"Or?"

"Or that your world might be similar to what we call [Avatar Space] in my world. A separate dimension where the flow of time is different."

I considered the implications of what he had just told me. "So basically, what you're saying is that for you, days in this world are minutes in yours? Like your thoughts and perception of time are accelerated as long as you're in here?"

Haseo looked at me questioningly. "I don't know," he admitted. "I never really paid much attention when Yata and Pi went over the details of [Avatar Space]. But if Zelkova is able to connect to this world, even in a limited fashion, it's good news since this means that the link between worlds is still there."

"Well," I replied. "We could use all the help we can get. Truth be told, I was having doubts as to how many of us front-liners would be left by the time we reached the 100th floor before you three arrived. But unless we have more information, it's probably best to just keep on doing what we've been doing these past two years. Why don't we try mapping out some of the labyrinth after you send a reply to this Zelkova guy?"

-o-

It was shortly after dinner that Haseo received a reply from Zelkova. The sender apologized for being unable to send anything of substantial help or news of a way back to Haseo's world. It seemed that only small amounts of data could be sent through this particular communication channel. A short-lived hope indeed. Well, I hadn't been banking on an easy escape route out of this world for myself anyways.

Five days later, a party of clearers stumbled upon the boss door inside the labyrinth on the 77th floor.

* * *

*notes: Yet another chapter that's more focused on establishing the setting than action. Also some foreshadowing for future chapters if you feel like taking a guess as to what *might* happen. From this point forwards, I'm probably going to divide the story into named arcs, sort of like how the side-story chapters worked for Sword Art Online. Of course, these "side-stories" will progress chronologically and are basically a way for me to write in the characterizations and interactions I want to have without going through having to write out every single floor between now and 100 (Seriously, including the boss on the 77th floor and not counting bonus bosses, that would be 24 bosses total. At my current pace, that'd take about…80 chapters. Not happening.)

The coming story arc will focus more on Silabus although many of the other characters both from SAO and .Hack will get appearances and perspective segments. As usual, leave comments, critiques, criticisms, suggestions, etc. in a review or a PM and I'll try to answer what I can without spoiling any of the story I have planned.


	7. Chapter 7: Another Way to Help, Part 1

**Chapter 7: Another Way to Help, Part 1**

_November 20, 2024, 77__th__ floor of Aincrad, Silabus_

"Damn it! Everyone fall back!" Klein shouted as the boss's form began to warp.

The boss had just lost one of its five health bars. We had been fighting for close to twenty minutes now, wearing down its health while observing its attack patterns to better plan for the actual raid. Well, this was a nasty surprise. The boss's initial form had been a giant. It looked human for the most part aside from the saggy skin, twisted bony features, and brightly glowing eyes.

[The Skin-Walker] melded into a new shape, one that caused several of the players in the room to flinch instinctively. I was one of them. I'm not that good with insects or anything with more than 4 limbs. The boss in front of us now had 8. Skittering about the room much faster than it had been moving previously, [The Skin-Walker] had taken on the form of an Olympic pool sized spider. Dark black hair covered most of its body and its legs ended in sharp curved blades. Its eyes remained a brightly glowing red, but now there were about a dozen of them.

"Silabus, duck!" Klein shouted.

I threw myself to the ground, feeling the wind as something passed over my head. Rolling onto my back, I found myself directly underneath the boss's abdomen. Acting out of instinct and fear, I stabbed upwards with my sword, causing the boss to screech and back up. It looked down at me menacingly.

I felt someone grab me roughly by the collar before I was yanked back a few steps. A bladed leg came down right where I had been laying down a split second earlier.

"Thanks Klein," I said, grateful for his help. That was when I noticed the red gash across his shoulder where he had taken a hit.

"No problem," he said, grinning a bit. "That's what I'm here for. Now let's get out of this room and regroup."

"Eh? What the—?"

The look of surprise on Klein's face startled me as well. Next to his health bar, I noticed a debuff symbol for the status effect [Slow]. How did that—no, it shouldn't be surprising, the status must have come from the boss's attack. Still, that was a terrifying ability; to slow a player so that they wouldn't be able to avoid subsequent hits…

I didn't even realize that my thought processes had stalled until Kirito ran in front of me, shouting, "What the hell are you doing? Take Klein and get out of here!"

He deflected a swipe from the boss that had been heading for us upwards with his sword and spun around to regain his footing. [The Skin-Walker] attacked again with a second leg, aiming for Kirito's blind spot on his left. Before I could even voice a warning, Haseo was there, casually pushing the attack off to the side with his broadsword.

"Aren't you getting a little too comfortable Kirito?"

"I knew you were there," the black swordsman replied, recovering from the brief stun his weapon clash with the boss had caused.

"Haseo, you should probably watch your back instead of talking," Alkaid remarked as she brought her swords above her head and blocked another slash coming from above.

Asuna leapt up over their heads and nailed the spider in the eyes with [Star Splash], an 8-hit thrusting combo. As the boss reared back in pain, I took the opportunity to help Klein over to the door. Still, I couldn't help but look on as the four of them held the boss back by themselves so that the rest of us could retreat safely.

Once we were in the relative safety of the hallway, everyone let go of the high tension that had filled us inside of the boss room. I, for one, was quite happy to be outside. Boss battles in [The World] weren't too stressful but in Aincrad, the atmosphere was completely different. The room was ominous enough on its own, the monsters frightening to behold, and with the threat of a very real death looming overhead, I just couldn't fathom how these people in front of me had dealt with this for two years already. They were truly strong.

"Those four are amazing," I remarked as Haseo, Alkaid, Kirito, and Asuna backed out into the hallway together. "Haseo and Alkaid have already gotten used to how to fight on the front-lines…unlike—"

"Hey! What're you moping for? You did well for a first-timer," Klein exclaimed as he clapped me on the back. It seems like he had recovered from his debuff.

"Yeah, even amongst clearers, Kirito's always been a monster," a large dark-skinned foreigner said, joining in the conversation. This would be Agil, one of the few non-native Japanese players in SAO. "Good thing for me too, because that means I can overcharge and underpay him at my shop since he earns a ton grinding solo on the front."

"I heard that," Kirito said, causing Agil to laugh heartily.

There wasn't any time to think on my individual performance after that, because we spent the next hour or so discussing what we noticed about the boss's attack patterns. If life wasn't at stake, I would have thought the whole affair to be completely ridiculous. A bunch of players standing outside the room to the boss fight talking about fight mechanics and trying to assign roles…Actually, it reminded me of a video I saw online a while back about a pretty famous old MMO where something similar was happening. One player who had been AFK ended up charging in alone, causing everyone to panic and run in after him. The results were not very pretty.

After a long discussion, we ended up going back inside to test our theories out. Like before, the boss changed forms after we depleted one of its health bars. This time it changed into a coyote, only about a dozen times the size of the ones that were in the field of this floor. If anything, this form was even quicker than the spider-form had been. It also did a lot of damage per hit, as one heavy armor user dropped down to about half health after taking a careless direct hit. Not long afterwards, the leaders of our raiding party decided that it would be best to retreat for the day before anyone got him/herself killed and continue tomorrow. It was a good decision, seeing as how many of us were drained from hours of fighting.

-o-

"Nothing beats a drink of sake after a hard day's work!" Klein exclaimed as he took a swig directly from the bottle in his hand.

We had returned to [Fuurinkazan]'s guild base after exiting the dungeon. As I might have guessed from the samurai armor worn by guild members, the base appeared to be a miniaturized Edo-period castle. The interior, contrary to my expectations the first time I had entered, was equipped with an assortment of furniture ranging from high-backed cushioned chairs that looked like they belonged in a European palace to post-modern tables that looked like twisted planks of wood.

"You know that you can't get drunk in this game," one of the officers in the guild remarked.

Klein laughed and replied, "That just means I can drink as much as I want!"

The laid-back atmosphere of this place really reminded me of Canard. But for all the laughter, it was still a clearing guild focused on defeating the boss at the end of the labyrinth. A small group of three players were discussing the day's events in the corner. When they noticed me looking at them, one of them waved me over.

"Hey Silabus-kun! Come on over!" he said in a friendly voice.

As I sat down, he added, "So, what was your impression of the boss fight?"

"Ah—In a word…scary," I admitted. "Are all boss fights that bad?"

He gave a short laugh and replied, "Nah. First time that I've seen a boss that changes form like that. There are some that change their attack patterns when they reach a certain amount of HP, but nothing as extreme as this one." He shuddered, "Damn, but I hate spiders. If every fight was like today's, we'd probably still be stuck on the tenth floor or something."

"Don't go forgetting that was at 75% health," the man on his right noted. He wore a headband tied at the front that made him look like a fish-monger. "I'll bet that guy has four forms or something."

"You mean like 'Each time I transform I get exponentially stronger and I still have two transformations left?'" the player who had called me over asked incredulously. "I thought that kind of stuff only happens in shonen anime that run for several seasons longer than needed."

"Oh you did _not_ just diss my favorite anime, Kamaitachi!" the third player at the table exclaimed.

Oh, right…that was his name. I was trying to remember everyone's names but I still mixed them up half the time. Then the one who had just spoken was…Takeda, I think. I know it had something to do with cavalry.

Kamaitachi grinned and replied, "One word: Filler."

"Getting back on topic," the man sitting across from me, Keiji, said. "It'd be quite troublesome trying to fight against this boss without knowing every form it could possibly turn into. How many days do you think it'll take before we cycle through all the possibilities?"

"Could be a few more days," Kamaitachi noted. "After the casualties we took on the 75th floor, being careful is the only option."

"How do you guys handle it?" I asked. "This type of thing day after day for so long? I've only been here about a week and I'm completely stressed out already."

The three sat in silence for about a minute before all answering at once as if on cue.

"It helps when you're with friends you know in real life," Kamaitachi replied.

"Just take it a day at a time," Keiji said. "And after a while, you get used to the world. Not that it's necessarily a _good _thing to be used to it."

Takeda answered, "Don't let fighting on the front-lines take up all your time. Do something that you enjoy whenever you can."

Klein, lounging on a couch nearby waved his bottle in the air and added, "Take a break and just enjoy the game as…well, a game. A game with a remarkably good taste generation engine even if you can't even get tipsy when you want to."

Something I enjoyed doing? Well, back in [The World], my favorite way of passing the time, aside from helping new players, was in running the guild shop and seeing new faces. But that wouldn't help us get any closer to finding Atoli. With those thoughts in mind and an ever-growing feeling that I was in way over my head, I excused myself and headed off to my room in the guild base for some rest.

* * *

_November 20, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

Dinner, as usual, looked great. As expected of Asuna, my mouth was watering before I even sat down. Stew, rice, and enough side dishes to satisfy any hunger. She looked pleased when I complimented her culinary skills, but then said three words that made me stop with my fork halfway to one particularly delicious looking dish.

"Alkaid helped out."

My anticipation immediately gave way to apprehension. Dinner had just turned into an unforgiving game of Russian Roulette. And since Asuna refused to tell me exactly which dish the newest member of KoB had "helped" with, I was really hesitant about taking a bite out of anything. I had heard about Alkaid's cooking from Liz and let me say this: Anything that could knock out Haseo instantly was far scarier than the boss we were learning the fight mechanics for.

Speaking of which, Haseo entered the room, toweling off his hair. Although there really isn't a need to bathe in the game, it's a nice feature. Not to mention most of the female players I know get a bit weirded out whenever they find out you've skipped bathing in favor of more time in the field killing monsters. They'd wrinkle their noses in disgust at body odors that don't actually exist in the game and tell you how you're a disgrace to humanity…you get the idea.

"Oh wow," Haseo said, looking at the food presented on the dining table. "This looks amazing. Itadakimasu…"

And without waiting to sit down, he picked up a drumstick and bit into it. I couldn't even get out a word of warning to him beforehand. The guy must have some pretty bad luck because the next moment, he seized up and collapsed on the ground.

"Let me guess," he groaned. "Alkaid's leveling her [Cooking] Skill."

The guilty party raised an eyebrow and said defensively, "Hey! It's getting better. I'm at skill level 84 now. Besides, I only see three status debuffs on you right now. That's an improvement, right?"

"I suppose being able to shout for help is an improvement, yes," Haseo remarked in an even tone. "Hey Kirito, forget about figuring out the boss's patterns, just toss some of Alkaid's cooking into its mouth for an easy kill."

The second half of his comment earned him a light kick in the ribs.

Alkaid conceded, "Ok, so maybe adding one of every ingredient into the pot to level the skill faster wasn't the best idea."

"It's a good idea," Asuna said, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder supportively. "The faster you level your cooking skill, the better your food will taste. I'm sure _someone_ will eventually appreciate the effort you're putting in and will be begging for you to cook for him soon."

Alkaid turned red and stammered, "T-that isn't—"

"Oh, it looks like Silabus sent me a mail," Haseo interrupted from the floor. "But thanks to a certain someone, I can't open it…"

"Oh be quiet about that already, it'll wear off!" Alkaid protested, shooting him a look of exasperation. She lifted his arm and helped him take the message by pressing the "Accept" key with his finger. "Let's see," she continued. "It looks like he'll be taking some time off from the front-lines."

"Good for him," Haseo said. "He's been blaming himself way too much for Atoli going missing. Silabus just isn't Silabus if he isn't enjoying playing."

"Is he a casual player?" I asked. Of all the players who had been trapped in SAO, the ones who had only logged in to "check out" the game ended up being the ones who were most negatively affected by Kayaba Akihiko's announcement on the first day. They had made up the majority of those who had died from causes outside of combat in the first few months.

"More or less," Haseo answered. "He's not one for more 'hard-core' events like the arena or boss-hunting unless someone really needs his help. But when that happens, he's probably the most reliable guy you can find."

"Still, unless he's willing to risk his life, the front-line might not be the thing for him," I noted. "I can count the number of surviving casual players on the top floor on the fingers of one hand. The odds aren't exactly in his favor if he continues."

"He's strong enough to handle it," Haseo replied. "He might not believe it himself, but I have confidence in his abilities."

-o-

The next day was a day off for all of us at KoB to prepare what we needed for the boss fight. Recently, the top clearing guilds agreed to a system where two or three guilds would probe a boss's abilities one day and rotate with another group of guilds the next. When we felt we had enough information, we would gather together and share our impressions and observations in one large raid meeting.

"Ah man, I'm bored," I complained as I stretched my arms up.

I was sitting inside Liz's shop as she finished maintenance on my gear. I didn't really realize it since last year I was preoccupied around this time of year power leveling for the Christmas event, but there really wasn't much to do on a day like today. What I wanted to do was to take a nap outdoors, but it was too chilly on most floors for that to be comfortable. Maybe I'll head down to the 22nd floor and do some fishing…except I think the lake had frozen over last week. Was ice-fishing implemented in this game? I'd have to ask Nishida later.

"Here you go Kirito," Liz said as she handed me back my swords. I tossed her a coin in payment. Even though she said she'd maintain my gear for free, it still cost materials and time to do so and I'd feel bad if I took advantage of her offer too often. It's good enough that she didn't charge me at all for reinforcing my weapons.

"How's business going?" I asked.

She beamed at me. "Couldn't be better!" she exclaimed. "The hammer I received in that quest is amazing. It actually has a perfect chance of reinforcing a weapon if you prepare the maximum number of raw materials…though I have to admit, being pestered for information about [Hephaestus' Forge] got annoying after the second day."

"Well now you know how I felt when [Dual Swords] became public knowledge," I replied. "I had to go into hiding to avoid the crowds of players trying to find out how to unlock that skill."

From the front of the shop, Alkaid remarked, "That forge event sounds interesting. I'd like to see it one day."

"That's not going to be possible," Liz answered. "It seems to be a one-time event, because the last two groups that went to where we found the forge said the doors were barred and refused to open."

The two girls had become fast friends after they had met at the floor opening party. I guess it shouldn't be surprising considering their outgoing personalities. But that meant that when they got started on a conversation, it could take a while for them to finish and I really didn't feel like sitting there as the lone male when that happened.

"I guess I'll head over to Agil's and sell the drops I got over the past few days," I said as I excused myself.

Behind me, the girls launched into a conversation about finding good player housing. I hadn't really considered it, but I suppose living in the guild headquarters does seem odd when there were so many decent homes up for sale in Aincrad's towns. Not to mention there were a lot of benefits to owning a house. Guaranteed privacy for one. My face heated up a bit as I remembered the time Asuna and I spent in our cottage on the 22nd floor. I hurried to the teleportation stone in the town as I tried to put those nights out of mind. Much harder to do than you would think.

Agil's shop was located on the 50th floor, in the city of [Algade]. As usual, the merchandise on display looked rather disorganized to me; Agil claimed that he has a "special layout" for his goods, which I guess was a fancy way of him saying that he just randomly shoves items on the shelves as he buys and sells them. His shop does fairly brisk business so I wasn't surprised to find someone inside already. What I didn't expect to see was him in an animated conversation with that someone else.

"Like I said earlier, you'll want at least as much starting capital as how much your shop costs," he was saying to a familiar looking figure.

His head turned as I stepped into the room. "Hey Kirito! How's it going? Got any goods to sell me?"

"Yeah," I noted, pulling up a trade window. The person Agil had been talking to turned around as well.

"Good morning Kirito-san," he greeted me politely.

"How's it going Silabus? Enjoying your day off?"

"I'm thinking about setting up a shop of my own and was just asking Agil-san for some advice," he replied.

"My advice would be to set up shop far away from mine on the other side of town," Agil joked. "I don't need you stealing away all of my customers."

"Doesn't look like there's many to steal away from you though," I noted.

Agil glared at me. "That was a low blow."

Laughing it off, I concluded my transaction with him (gaining a total of 150k Col) and turned to leave. But before I could, the dark-skinned giant stopped me.

"Hey Kirito, why don't you help him pick out a decent location in [Algade] for his shop? You know the area better than he does and I'll bet you don't have anything planned for your day off except for running through the fields like a blood-crazed maniac slaughtering monsters by the dozen."

"Oi, don't go around trying to make me sound like some sort of hopeless grinder," I replied. "There're enough weird rumors about me already between the dual swords thing, joining KoB, and exposing Kayaba."

But he was right about how I had nothing planned, so I spent the next two hours giving Silabus a brief tour of [Algade]. Even though I've been here many times before, it occurred to me how daunting the area must be for a first-time visitor. It seemed like every alleyway was part of a larger maze and that if you took a wrong turn, you'd be lost for days. In fact, I'd heard one rumor the other day that a group of friends had arranged to meet somewhere in the city. One of them got lost looking for the road to the meeting spot. He ended up walking around for days, sleeping in an alleyway whenever he grew tired. In the end, the group sent a search party after him...but those people promptly got lost as well.

The neighborhood started looking really familiar to me, which was when I remembered; my house from my solo days was on this floor. I hadn't thought about it much since getting married to Asuna, but I had probably left a bunch of stuff in my storage chest on this floor. I should go back and check later.

"So in conclusion, if I want anyone to actually be able to visit my shop without a road map or GPS…pick another floor," Silabus remarked, glancing down one particularly dark alley.

"It's not as bad as that so long as you find a shop that's close to a main roadway in the city," I replied. "But those are pretty expensive; you'd have to shell out at least 4 million Col for one of the better ones."

"Maybe this isn't the best idea after all," he sighed.

"No, I think it's perfect for you," I answered sincerely. "I heard from Haseo. About how you feel guilty for what happened to your friend."

"Ah…he told you about that?"

"Yeah," I said, scratching my jaw. "It's probably not my place to tell you this, but you don't need to push yourself on the frontlines just because you feel that's the only way to help. I mean, out of everyone in this world, only about 500 are actually clearers. We might be pushing forwards, but that's only because of all the people supporting us. Without people willing to run shops, make equipment, and gather raw materials, there's no way we'd be where we are today. I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's more than one way you can help your friends; if the path of the sword isn't for you, there's always something else you can do."

After a long moment of silence, Silabus replied, "You're a kind person, Kirito-san. Yeah, you're right, I should probably do what I've always done before. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on helping at the front from time to time. I'll focus on this first and get stronger in the meantime so that I can stand with you guys on the hundredth floor."

As he walked down the street, he shouted to the sky, "And if I'm going to open a shop, I'd better make sure it's the best shop this world has ever seen!"

* * *

_November 21, 2024, 50__th__ floor of Aincrad, Silabus_

I stretched my arms as I looked around at the interior of my new shop. I had chosen a medium sized building that was about a five minute's walk from the city square. It was in a good location, so I was surprised that no one had taken the spot. The interior was spacious and it came with a bare minimum of furniture. Calculating in the cost of my purchase and an estimate of how much display cases and other furnishings would cost, I was dangerously close to broke. In my haste and euphoria at the thought of owning a shop, I had forgotten about Agil's advice to hold over a good chunk of money for stocking up.

There was a lot to do as well. Thinking up of a good store name, advertising, planning the layout of the front, and procuring goods. I'll probably end up using the second floor as my own home; it'd certainly be a lot more convenient than coming in from the [Fuurinkazan] base every morning. But first…if you're going to open a store, you need to have something to sell.

"Ah man, this is going to be a problem," I muttered. "No choice, I guess I'll head out into the field and collect some raw materials so I have some inventory."

After sending a quick mail to Klein, Haseo, and Alkaid ("Have a shop on the 50th floor, drop by sometime,") I equipped my weapon and headed out of the city. The monsters on this floor were so much simpler than those on the 77th floor. In fact, without the pressure of fighting a floor boss or exploring a dungeon no player had ever seen before, the experience quickly became enjoyable. It was a feeling that I hadn't even realized I had lost when I first came to this world; the feeling of playing for fun, of exploring a vibrant and exciting world.

I might have gotten a little bit overconfident after a while since the monsters on this floor were so much weaker than I was used to because I started leafing through a player guide I had gotten for free at a market stall earlier. It was compiled by someone named "Argo" and had a lot of information on skills and where to farm certain materials. Currently, I was collecting leather and skins since those were useful in crafting armor, but I planned on entering the nearby forest in a short while in order to hunt monsters that dropped materials used in reinforcing weapons.

I have to say, I had a new appreciation for the person who wrote that guide by the end of the first half-hour. Without it, I'd probably have just slaughtered random monsters hoping for some lucky drops. For someone new to the world, knowing exactly what dropped where was a godsend.

"If the path of the sword isn't for you, there's always something else you can do…huh?" I murmured to myself. The number of lives saved by this guide was probably not insubstantial. I could understand the meaning behind Kirito's words better now. After all, this Argo person wasn't a front-liner, but still played a role in helping everyone out.

The forest area on this map was extensive. I'd probably have lost my way if Kirito hadn't given me his mapping data for this floor. But in no time at all, I found where I wanted to be and was busy slashing away at foes. Even though they were a much lower level than me, my katana skill leveled up quite a bit just due to the sheer number of kills I was racking up. I ended up losing track of time before my stomach growling told me that it was time to return. I also had several messages waiting for me that I hadn't noticed earlier. The earliest had been sent nearly two hours ago.

_Hey Silabus. Glad you found something you want to do in Aincrad. Let me know when you open up and I'll drop by. –Haseo_

_Silabus, what's this I hear about you opening a shop? I'd better get a discount! Just kidding. You'll do great as a shopkeeper. –Alkaid_

_Yo Silabus, we have a surprise for you so drop on by to the guild headquarters later today. –Klein_

"Hey, you there! What are you doing here?"

A voice called out to me from behind a tree. I hadn't noticed anyone in the area before; did he find me with the [Searching] skill or something? A large player in full plate armor carrying a spear stepped out from the shadows.

"Just hunting some monsters for raw materials," I answered. The player indicator above his head was green; it didn't look like he was one of those rumored "orange" players who robbed players of their hard-earned drops.

"Wait…don't tell me," he said, looking a bit frightened now for some reason. "You've been hunting [Dragon-scale Lizardmen]?"

"Well, yeah," I answered. "I've been here for a few hours already."

"A—few hours?" he replied shakily. "And how many have you killed in that time?"

What was he so nervous about? I checked my inventory. Currently I had about 50 scales. At about a 15% droprate, I must have killed at least 300 of them. I answered his question. He looked really taken aback by what I said and shouted to someone behind him.

"Guys! Stop killing those mobs! You might—" he yelled.

A loud hissing noise filled the forest followed by two tremors that shook the ground. From behind the man, I heard the sounds of screaming.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed before running off to rejoin his party. "Hang on, I'm coming. Just try and keep away from it for now!"

I ran after him, catching up rather quickly due to the difference in how heavily armored we were.

"Um, excuse me. But exactly what was that all about?"

He looked at me as if the situation was my fault. "You don't know?" he asked incredulously. "There's a limit to how many of these monsters you can kill in a certain time-frame. Any more than that and you'll risk triggering the event."

"Event?" I asked. Well, whatever this event was, it couldn't be a good thing from the way this guy was acting.

"Yeah," he answered. "Kill too many of them and you'll anger their god. That's how the story goes, but in practice, it's a repeatable boss fight. And between you and my party, we've killed enough to royally piss it off."

The two of us skidded to a halt as we entered a small clearing. The rest of his party was spread out in the field. A man with a sword and shield and heavy armor, a lightly armored katana wielding woman, another spearman, and a young girl who was only armed with a dagger. Facing them was a large serpent roughly the size of a subway train. Its cold yellow eyes turned towards the two of us who had just arrived and it let out a loud noise halfway between a hiss and a roar.

"I hope you're good with that blade of yours," the man I had met earlier said. "Because we're in for a pretty tough fight from the looks of it."

[The Dragon-scale Serpent Lord] reared back and lunged straight us.

* * *

*notes- Part 1 of the Silabus focused arc of the story. This is my rendition of what would happen if you took an ordinary player, one who's in it for fun and doesn't care too much about progressing, and shove him into a world where everything is serious business. Oh, and just to make things even more confusing for him, he's suddenly on the strong end of the player-base in terms of level and stats which makes him feel even more pressure to contribute. Luckily the clearers are considerate people (unlike say, hard-core raiders in certain MMOs I could name) and basically tell him to take a break so that he doesn't go and get himself killed pushing himself to his limit.

I never used Silabus in the G.U. games much except for those parts where you have to have him in your party. I figured if he was real, he'd probably appreciate not being thrown into adventures where you encounter weird glitch floating black bubbles and comatose players. Thankfully, the other characters level up on their own even if you don't party with them (or else I'd be stuck with a lvl 10 or so Silabus on disk 3.) Here, he's strong enough to be a clearer, but has little battle experience in a Full Dive environment which means he'll freeze up in fights against the bigger, more menacing monsters (at least initially.) Add in the fact that his two friends have quickly acclimated with the situation and he's feeling a bit left behind at the moment. He'll get better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

As usual, leave comments, suggestions, criticism, questions, etc. in a review or a PM if you have any.


	8. Chapter 8: Another Way to Help, Part 2

**Chapter 8: Another Way to Help, Part 2**

_November 21, 2024, 50__th__ floor of Aincrad, Silabus_

"Taiga-san! Rotate with me!" the spearman shouted as he blocked a flick from [The Dragon-scale Serpent Lord]'s tail and countered. A pale-red glow surrounded his spear as the sword skill activated, sweeping the pole-arm sideways once followed with a quick thrust that brought the player's shield back in front of him.

Taiga was the shield-carrying swordsman I had noticed earlier. He looked a bit nervous as he stepping in front of the boss. _Too slow,_ I thought, basing my judgment on the experience I've had practicing with the members of [Fuurinkazan]. The boss had already recovered from the brief window after an attack and swept its massive head across the field, knocking both Taiga and his partner to the ground. Concentrating on the players for a moment, I was relieved to see that they were both still in the green-zone, if just barely.

I stepped in front of them, shielding the two players while they healed up with potions. I didn't possess any skills to build [Hate], which meant that I didn't really have the attention of the monstrous serpent in front of me. The closest I could come to tanking the attacks was to stand in front of whoever was actually getting attacked.

The boss lunged at me, mouth wide open to reveal rows of razor sharp fangs the length of my arm. Holding my blade sideways, I braced myself against the impact by lowering my stance and placing my left hand across the back of my sword; my hands shook unsteadily those teeth closed in. My health bar decreased steadily as I was pushed back. One meter— two –the attack finally ended after I was shoved backwards three meters; my health stopped decreasing at 90% and slowly began to tick up from my [Battle Healing] skill. I tried to counter-attack, but I couldn't quite focus after taking that hit and instead of activating [Fell Crescent] like I wanted to, all I managed was a rather weak downwards normal slash that did only about the third of the damage the [Sword Skill] would have done.

"Thanks for the assist. I'll take it from here," the first spearman said as he took his place in the front.

The two female party members I had seen earlier had flanked the monster and were unleashing their best attacks on it. It was really impressive to watch. The older swordswoman, with her elegant stance and fluid motions, would step inside the boss's attack radius momentarily for a few quick strikes before flitting back out of range; her long black hair tied back with an equally long red ribbon flowing behind her. This contrasted with the younger girl's more energetic acrobatics as she stabbed the monster's flank and then rolled out of the way. Interestingly, there was an odd little creature flying around the girl that looked sort of like a feathery dragon which occasionally chipped in by healing her. The last spearman was doing a good job as well, using his longer range to attack from a safe distance with rapid-fire thrusts. If the tank took too long to recover, they would easily pull the attention of the boss just through the sheer amount of damage they were dishing out.

The two men seemed to have entered a good rhythm, using [Switch] to juggle the boss's attention. The few times they slipped on the timing, I stepped in to fill the gap while they healed up with potions. Everything was going smoothly until the second of the boss's three health bars depleted.

As the spearman pulled his weapon back from where it had pierced the boss just behind the jaw, it gave an ear-splitting shriek that disoriented all of us. Raising its body up high such that fully half of it was in the air, it swung the upper half of its body around the field in a whip-like motion, slapping all of us back. I quickly checked our health bars. Of the six of us in the field, I was the only one whose health was not in the red. The massive serpent recovered from the stun at the end of its attack before any of the other players could; unlike monsters, players started feeling tired out after fighting for too long which impacted how long it took to get back up.

_Damn it, if I don't do anything…someone could die!_

I got to my feet, gripping my sword, [_Empty Shadow_], in my hand. The boss hissed softly as it lowered its head to the ground and advanced upon Taiga, who had been the last person to have its attention. His health was the lowest of all. I felt myself seizing up; these boss fights frightened me with how realistic everything was.

_Move!_ I commanded my body.

People like to think that situations like this are when humans can break free of their limitations. These are the times when heroes realize the strength that they had inside and courageously meet their foes head-on. It's supposedly when willpower allows us to perform acts that redefine miraculous.

What a pack of lies those stories are.

I ran forwards, not empowered by will or courage nor by rage or the drive to protect. I ran forwards with fear screaming in my mind and heart, telling me that this was foolish, that it was suicidal. I was afraid; it was that simple. It's amazing how fast you can run when you're scared out of your mind; I just chose to run in the direction opposite the one I wanted to run in. I drank a potion on the way to recover my health. As I closed in, my hands traced the movement that would launch me into a [Sword Skill]_, _the first one for this fight.

Klein told me the other day that there are generally three types of [Sword Skills] in this game. The first are highly effective low cool-down ones. They typically did less damage than more flashy skills, but they were safe and easy to use; the bread-and-butter of fighting. The second are highly effective high cool-down ones. They tended towards a high number of hits and were reserved as finishers or for times when you didn't have to worry about being counter-attacked. The third class of skills was the one you should never use unless you're desperate. They tended towards the impractical. Overly long recovery time, too many chained hits that left you wide open, that sort of thing.

The skill I used now, [Moonlit Blossom], belonged to that third group. It was a ten-hit combo that had neither a long cool-down nor left me too wide open. It also did a good amount of damage, more than the typical middle-level [Katana]skill. The reason why it belonged to the third class of skills was because it was one of the few moves in the game that had an abnormally high [Hate] multiplier. In fact, it was so abnormally high that not many skills that tank-build characters have come close to matching it. Combined with how long the combo took (roughly ten seconds) and how it was a skill only for katana-type weapons which were usually for damage dealers and normally used in conjuncture with light armor, it topped the list of moves that you should never use in a boss fight.

In his warning, Klein had spun a tale of the days immediately after he had gotten hold of this new skill. As the story goes, he had been so excited at the thought of this new awesome ten-hit combo that he had immediately used it in the boss fight on that floor. He didn't remember the rest of the fight too well because he was running around the room in circles screaming his head off as the heavy armor players tried desperately to pull the boss off his tail.

From the moment the first strike connected, I had the undivided attention of the boss. Its tail lashed out at me again and again as I followed through with the dance of steel. I took hits and my health went down, but the same was true for the boss. This was not some beautiful display of swordsmanship. Anyone looking to see elegance or skill would have been sorely disappointed. The battle between me and [The Dragon-scale Serpent Lord] was a brawl, a fist-fight in a pub where the last man (or monster) standing won. The eighth hit of my combo briefly disoriented the boss, allowing me to complete my [Sword Skill] and recover from the sequence-end stun before it could attack again.

I rolled under the next tail swipe and drank a second potion. It briefly pushed my health back into the green before a second lash from that whip-like tail brought me back down below 50% again. I started using simpler [Sword Skills], remembering what I'd learned from my guild-mates in the field. I avoided the hits I could, tanked the ones I couldn't, drank at least three more potions, and went all out on the offensive. It was the only thing I could do to keep the fear from consuming me.

I was breathing hard by the time the boss exploded into a million pixels of light. In fact, I was so tired that I kept swinging my sword around for a good five seconds after it died, my mental processes unable to keep up with what had just transpired. The five players who had been partied up broke into cheers. Sometime during my endurance match with the monster, they had recovered and joined in. My health was at 20%, if they hadn't helped, I highly doubt I'd still be standing right about now.

"That," the swordsman exclaimed, giving me a pat on the back, "was the most awesome thing I've seen."

-o-

The six of us sat inside of a café in [Algade]. I had tried to tell them that their thanks weren't needed and that I had business to attend to, but they had been insistent on showing their gratitude. I thought it was ironic considering that my hunting spree had been what triggered the boss showing up.

They introduced themselves to me after I gave them my name. The swordsman was Taiga. The spearman I had met first and the leader of the party was named Raide and the other spearman was Hazard. The female katana user whose prowess in battle I had been admiring hesitantly introduced herself as Tomoe. The youngest member of the group, the girl with the dragon, introduced herself last.

"Thanks for your help," she said. "I'm Silica. Nice to meet you Silabus-san." When her companion, the feathery dragon I had been staring at, licked me on the nose, she giggled and added, "And that's Pina. I think she likes you."

"Ah man, we got quite the haul today!" Raide said with a broad smile on his face. "When I saw the boss show up, I was pretty damn worried. But I guess that's something I need to get used to if I'm ever going to catch up with the front-liners."

"You're trying to join the front-liners?" I asked, taking a bite out of a pastry.

Pina nosed her way nearby and tried to take a bite out of my food. I tore off a chunk and fed it to her. The dragon gave a little croon and accepted it happily.

"Yep, all of us are training and gearing up to join the front," he answered. "We really look up to them, especially Silica-chan here." With a playful laugh, he added, "What was that you said? 'I want to see my onii-chan again?'"

Silica turned bright red and mumbled something about "wanting to help."

"You're pretty damn strong too," Raide remarked. "I mean, [Katana] is more of a sissy hit and run type weapon, but you were going toe-to-toe with that overgrown reptile like a true man!"

"I take offense to that. How many times has my 'sissy' katana saved your behind?" Tomoe interjected. "Only an idiot would think that fighting without regards to one's safety is 'manly.'"

I laughed nervously. "Actually, most of that time I was just trying to keep myself from turning around and running the other way. I didn't really want to fight that way, but it was the only thing I could do. I was just out there gathering items for the shop I opened, I never expected to fight something like _that_."

"That's a pity," Raide said. "With your strength, you could do a lot on the front."

"Raide-san, that's being rude to the guy who saved our hides," Taiga interrupted. "It's not like everyone wants to be at the front."

"No, he's right. I'd like to help at the front," I replied, "but I don't have the type of strength those people do. To face down something vastly more powerful than you with a sword…with how I freeze up, I wouldn't be much help right now. So I'm going to help in the ways that I can and work towards conquering this fear of mine." With a bit of wistfulness, I added, "People like Haseo, Alkaid, Klein-san, Kirito-san, and Asuna-san, they're really amazing."

There was a clatter as Silica dropped the cup she had been drinking from.

With eyes shining as brightly as gemstones, she leaned forwards and asked excitedly, "You know onii-chan?"

There was an awkward silence as the rest of us just stared at her, taken aback by this sudden burst of energy. Covering her embarrassment by coughing into a fist, Silica sat back down into her chair.

"Ah," I said, recovering. "By your brother, are you talking about Klein-san or Kirito-san?"

"Kirito-san," she replied, looking very happy that someone else knew him personally. "He's not my real brother, but I want to become strong enough to repay him for helping me bring Pina back."

"Eh!?" Raide exclaimed. "You mean that the onii-chan you've been going on about this whole time is none other than [The Black Swordsman] … [The Dual-Wielding Demon] himself? That man is a legend! An absolutely unbeatable hero!"

"Well, if you're going to go into adoring fan-mode," Hazard noted. "Then I would have to say that Asuna-san is better. Sure, she might not have been chosen to use [Dual Swords], but she's now the commander of the KoB _and_ is amazing strong. Not to mention very attractive."

As the three men started arguing about which of the clearers was the best, I noticed Tomoe looking at me intently as if I were a puzzle to solve. It was a little unnerving.

"Um…is something the matter?" I asked nervously.

"Just a random thought that had entered my head," she replied. "Tell me, Silabus-san. If someone mentioned a group of names to you and of that group of names, he did not use honorifics with some of them; it would be safe to assume that he was particularly close to those people, correct?"

"Yes? I guess so," I replied.

The other members of the party fell silent. It seemed like they were interested in what the woman was about to say. I had thought initially that Raide was the leader of this party, but judging by how they reacted around her, perhaps Tomoe was the actual head of the group.

"And if one of those names happened to coincide with a name I happened to see in the paper the other day…"

She tossed a newspaper onto the table. Prominent on the front-page was Haseo's picture.

"And if it just so happened that the name in question belonged to a player who had entered our world by some unknown means…that would mean that a person who is comfortable enough to call him without honorifics must have come here alongside him, would it not?"

This woman was _sharp_.

"Um, I suppose so?" I thanked whoever designed this game for taking out the ability to "sweat", because my collar would probably have been soaked by now.

"Well, if that's the case," she said with a triumphant look and a gleam to her eyes. "Then that person wouldn't mind sharing his story in exchange for my silence on this issue, would he? Theoretically speaking, of course. Otherwise, he _might_ just find himself inconvenienced by dozens of curious players asking him for that same story the next day…and the next…and the next…"

"Tomoe-san, not to nag or anything, but isn't blackmailing the guy who saved our butts for information a bit…crude?" Raide asked. "Sorry about her," he added apologetically. "I know her in real life and believe me—when she gets intrigued by something, she loses all sense of propriety."

"Well, you can't tell me that _you're _not curious either," she replied. Turning to me, she continued, "I was just joking about the last part. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

She said that…but her expression plainly said "I want to know." Add in the expectant stares from the rest of the party and the pressure was palpable. I found myself sighing and taking a sip of tea before launching into an explanation of why I was here and a little about [The World: R2].

"I'd like to say that you were lying since that's hard to believe," Tomoe remarked, speaking carefully. "But nothing about your body language said that was false."

"Psh, you psychology majors. Always over-analyzing every little detail," Raide scoffed.

I asked, "You two were university students? Before getting stuck here, I mean."

"We were first-years," Tomoe replied. "I was planning on writing a paper on how people adopt new personas in MMOs but…as you can see, that research project has stretched on a tad long now. He may have been completely insane but in some ways, I can understand why Kayaba Akihiko would want to observe the players in this world of his."

I didn't really know what to say to that. The tone of fascination in her voice was unsettling to say the least. To talk about observing people in a world where you could actually die in such a casual way…

A mail icon popped up in front of me. It was from Klein.

"Do you need to get going?" Hazard asked as I looked over the contents.

I replied, "Yeah, it looks like Klein-san got a little tired of waiting at the guild base so he and a few of my guild-mates came down to this floor."

"Klein-san? Guild base? Wait—You're a member of [Fuurinkazan]?" Raide exclaimed, jumping up and leaning on the table. "Maaaannn, I'm jealous. You've been here all of like a week and you're in _the_ [Fuurinkazan]?"

Tomoe tugged him backwards by the belt, causing him to fall back into his seat.

"Ease up a bit, fanboy," she said. "You're scaring him."

Actually, the one who scared me the most in this room would be you…but I couldn't say that out loud.

Instead, I asked Raine, "Do you guys want to come and meet him? I'm warning you though, don't get your hopes too high or you'll be disappointed with how the guild master is."

-o-

"What the hell Silabus? Showing up late with two ladies in tow…you're becoming another Kirito! Damn, I'm jea—No, I mean…you're late! I specifically told you to drop by the guild headquarters when you finished up."

Those were the first words out of the esteemed leader of [Fuurinkazan]'s mouth as I approached the door to my new shop. He was sitting on top of a table placed in the middle of the street looking like he had all the time in the world. Takeda and Keiji were there as well, leaning on the wall next to the entrance. They grinned and waved to the group behind me.

I turned around and gave Tomoe and Silica an apologetic look before saying to Raide, "I told you not to get too worked up over meeting him."

I introduced the members of [Fuurinkazan] to the group. As Klein fumbled his self-introduction and declaration of "single-status" to Tomoe, I shook my head and unlocked the door to the shop, beckoning everyone to come inside.

"It's a bit bare, but make yourselves at home," I said as I turned on the lights.

"Not for long, it won't be," Takeda said happily as he manipulated an item menu. "These are for you. A gift from the rest of us in the guild."

My eyes widened as storage chests, display tables, and counters materialized out of nowhere and cluttered the room. Thankfully, I remembered what Agil had told me this morning about how to rearrange furniture and in no time at all, the front of the shop was looking operational, if devoid of merchandise.

"You have a good eye for detail," Takeda noted. "The layout feels really warm and inviting."

Everyone stayed and chatted until well past midnight. Klein had gone into a conversation about what was expected of clearers with Raide, the other men were trading funny anecdotes about their adventures, and Tomoe was trying to wring every last drop of information out of me that she could while I desperately feigned interest in Klein's conversation. Silica had fallen asleep at one of the counters, sitting on top of a chair and using her arms as a pillow. Pina was curled up into a feathery ball beside her. Soon after we noticed this (and stopped remarking at how cute the two looked together) Tomoe decided that it was time for them to return to the inn.

"We'll see you again soon, Silabus-kun," she said, turning and giving me a small bow from the door after her friends had exited. And with a wink, "You're an intriguing sort of guy so I'd love to get to know you better."

Klein elbowed me in the side at that. I'd be willing to bet she said that on purpose just to pick on the poor guy; Tomoe had been pointedly shooting down every attempt he made at flirting all evening long; most before he even got five words out in a coherent sequence. Klein gripped me by the shoulders and looked directly at me.

"Hey, Silabus-kun…tell me…why is it that it seems like everyone but me has luck with girls in this world?"

"Don't you think it's because you dress like a thug, Klein?" Keiji said in the most brutal way possible. "I mean, it's fine since you think it's cool, but most women prefer styles that didn't die out several centuries ago."

"Keiji! I thought we all agreed not to mention that in front of him!" Takeda hissed.

Klein started chuckling. Because of the way he was looking down at the floor, his eyes were hidden by shadow. His shoulders shook violently as his mirth grew more unsettling by the second.

"GAH!" he screamed out, violently running his hands through his hair. "I thought you guys all thought Sengoku era stuff was cool! You all agreed to make it the theme of our guild. Why didn't you say something earlier?"

Keiji shot me an apologetic look and said, "We'll handle this back at the guild headquarters, Silabus. When our great leader starts ranting…it can take a while to calm him down."

Keiji and Takeda dragged Klein out of my shop by the arms, with the guild leader going on at length about how "samurai are definitely _in_ style." I shook my head and closed the door behind them. Klein was so similar to Kuhn in some ways that if I didn't know any better, I would have guessed that he had followed us here.

* * *

_November 22, 2024, 50__th__ floor of Aincrad, Alkaid_

"Hey Silabus! We came to see how your shop's coming along," I exclaimed cheerfully as I barged into the front of the store.

We had just finished our foray into the boss's lair about an hour ago. Coupled with the results from two days ago and the information the other guilds acquired yesterday, we thought we had a good handle on the possible transformations the boss had. It had shown the ability to turn into a spider, coyote, bear, viper, or scorpion each time it lost a health bar. More trial runs suggested that the form the boss took each time was randomized.

"Wow, this is pretty nice," Haseo noted as he stepped inside. "It's not much, but here's today's haul from the front-lines. Call it a gift to help you get started."

Haseo pressed a few buttons on a menu and waited for Silabus to accept the trade. His eyes widened when he saw the number of drops that he had just received.

"How did you—?"

"We had a lot of downtime this morning while Asuna and the other guild leaders were talking," I explained. "So we just killed time by practicing [Sword Skills] until noon. Turns out the drop-rate in some of the areas was pretty high."

Actually, the drop-rate wasn't that much higher than usual. It's just that between Haseo and I, we mowed down mobs so quickly that more of our time was spent running to new regions on the map that we hadn't decimated than actually killing monsters.

"Oh? Maybe I should join you guys on a hunt if I ever run low on merchandise," Silabus replied.

He rearranged his stock in order to accommodate what we had given him. I have to hand it to him; everything was meticulously organized. There was a shelf for potions, armor laid out on three tables, weapons arranged atop another two, and raw materials on several different shelves along the wall, arranged by crafting type.

"I see you're going for the same 'we sell everything' policy you had back in [The World]," I remarked.

We started reminiscing about home. I hadn't realized that I had missed [The World] that much already. Even though I knew Zelkova wouldn't lie to us, it was hard to believe that for the people we left behind, only minutes had passed while for us, it had been over a week already. I guess that this was a blessing; I can't imagine what my parents would think if I fell into yet another coma-like state from playing online games.

"Quite the interesting crowd you have here today, Silabus-kun," a sultry voice called out from the entryway.

A raven-haired beauty stepped into the room. She was the sort that had no need to use cosmetics to look her best. But the way she carried herself and that sword by her side…this woman was a warrior, no doubt about it. Her large brown eyes passed over each of us in turn, taking in our appearance.

"I am Tomoe," she introduced herself. "No need for honorifics. And you two must be the famous Alkaid-san and Haseo-san I heard about from Silabus-kun last night." Examining Haseo a little more closely, she added, "I must say, you're rather young to have a morbid title like 'the Terror of Death.'"

"Well sorry to disappoint you then," Haseo replied dryly, giving Silabus a questioning look.

"Sorry Haseo, Alkaid. I let your names slip out during a conversation yesterday and she put the pieces together," Silabus said. "And she basically forced me into explaining our situation."

"How rude, Silabus-kun," Tomoe remarked, speaking as if they were old friends. "I did say that you didn't need to answer if you didn't want to…"

By the tone of her voice, I could tell that he didn't really have a choice in answering and she knew it.

"Don't give me that look," she said to me, smiling a bit. "I won't try to use what he told me against you three in any way. It's just that if there was another way out of this game, I owe it to my friends to try and find it. Since they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me suggesting we play this game."

I must have still been eyeing her suspiciously, because she added, "Still don't trust me? How about this then? I'm an editor for the player-run papers; I can make it so that nothing additional that would compromise your identities shows up. But in exchange…I want updates about what is happening on the front. Informants on the inside would allow me to rely less on rumor."

It didn't sound like a bad deal at all, assuming she wasn't lying. But what I didn't like was how she seemed to already know that I would accept. A moment later, Haseo agreed to her terms as well; as the recipient of a lot of unwanted attention due to the articles about him the past few days, he had more reason to take the deal than I did.

"Well then," Tomoe said cheerfully. "That takes care of that. I hate manipulating people like this, but when it comes to something that might keep my friends alive in this world, I won't hesitate to do it."

"Did you come here just to get us to help you in this backhanded manner?" I asked, my mind still spinning a little from how quickly she had switched from "scheming witch" to amicable.

"No, I only intended to drop by in order to see how Silabus-kun was doing with his shop," Tomoe replied. "By the way, you really need a sign out front. I wandered past the entrance about five times before I realized this was the right place."

Silabus laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I've been working on that," he said, pulling a large wooden slat from behind the counter. "I was trying to come up with a name that invoked feelings of warmth, camaraderie, and hope. Something that reminds us of what we're fighting for and the people who are counting on us."

"So what's the store name going to be?" I asked.

He smiled and flipped the sign over. There, emblazoned on the wood in what appeared to scales that glowed with a light of their own were the words:

_ At Home_

* * *

_December 7, 2024, ? floor of Aincrad, ? ? ? ?  
_

_It_ gained awareness. An empty room. Nothing nearby save for a seemingly harmless chest nearby. It could not sense the presence of anything else.

Why did it come into being in such a place? What was its purpose? _It _found itself bound to that room, unable to spread out and explore.

_Ah_, it thought. _Perhaps there is something about this place that holds significance to me_.

And so it reached deeper, accessing the record of everything that had occurred within. Nothing that interested it appeared until finally, it found a recording of what had transpired within that very room well over a year ago. _It_ had found meaning to its existence at last.

Vivid emotions trapped in the data of the room flooded through the entity. Fear, anguish, concern, desperation, and above it all, something quite curious that it couldn't comprehend. Those creatures that had vanished from this place at that time, leaving nothing but a small trace of data in the wake of their passing. Such fascinating beings. Could _it_ have been one of them?

It tried to reconstruct a body based on the residue gleaned from its search. A formless black mass formed in the air, shaping itself into a hand before collapsing in on itself and vanishing.

_Incomplete_, it thought to itself. _I must observe more before trying again_.

And so it reviewed the record kept in that room again and again; so many times that the past slowly became a part of itself.

* * *

*notes: And the somewhat slower paced Silabus arc comes to an end. I'm not a particularly big fan of OCs, but I made a few in this arc for the sake of convenience and in order set-up for future chapters. The members of Fuurinkazan, I had to name. They were nameless within the light novels and it just wouldn't do for Silabus as a member to refer to them as "member 1" or "the officer" all the time.

The OCs that appeared within this chapter serve several purposes. First, it's an attempt to portray non-clearers as more than just passive bystanders waiting for the clearers to finish the game. Second, it gives me an excuse to give Silica a cameo (and possibly get her to the front-lines by the hundredth floor.) And thirdly, although the character of Tomoe was meant to be little more than a one-shot appearance at first, as I started writing more lines for her, her character kind of grew on me. She's a counter-part to Silabus in many ways. They're both trying hard for the sake of friends, blame themselves for the current situation to some extent, and are merchants first and warriors second (though she's one of information rather than goods.)

A bit of foreshadowing for the events of the next story arc at the end. Those of you familiar with SAO might be tipped off by the description of the room. Those familiar with .Hack might be able to guess who/what's perspective I'm writing from there. Those familiar with both…might even be able to accurately guess what's in store.

Oh yeah, for Silabus's store name, I had originally planned to use "Shift+2" in place of the word "At," but due to the limitations of this site, that didn't work out. So every time the store name pops up in the future, keep this in mind, because I still think it would have worked better with that name which references the home base of guilds in .Hack.

As usual, please leave comments, questions, feedback, critiques, criticism, etc in a review or a PM and I'll answer what I can so long as it doesn't involve spoilers.


	9. Chapter 9: Black Cat's Crossing, Part 1

**Chapter 9: Black Cat's Crossing, Part 1**

_December 7, 2024, 100__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kayaba Akihiko_

"It seems that the clearers have managed to get past the 79th floor," the blue-haired gunman noted, lounging on a chair watching as the boss of the 79th floor, a hydra-like monstrosity, shattered into prismatic pixels. "Your revelation doesn't seem to have shaken their morale as much as you had hoped it would."

As with the previous two bosses, there had been no loss of life, although there had been several close calls over the course of the two-hour fight.

"I had intended on them despairing for some time, yes," I noted. "But their resilience does them credit. After all, they are the chosen heroes that I have helped grow; and they have grown splendidly. I expect no less of them. But enough stalling, Ovan. Stop trying to steer the subject of our conversation away from this new development; you know something about this phenomenon occurring on the 27th floor and I _will_ have an answer as to why I should not intervene directly."

Ovan adjusted his glasses, causing them to reflect the light. He seemed to do that quite often. It might be intimidating to some people, but had no effect on me.

"Because that anomaly, as you called it several times already, is what we know as [AIDA]. Short for Artificially Intelligent Data Anomaly. We know little about it save that it has an interest in human interaction. Not unlike yourself, if I might be so bold to claim," Ovan replied. "Also, far from being an obstacle, its presence here is agreeable with your goal of observing the reactions of the players to unexpected situations, correct?"

"That is for me to decide," I noted dryly. "What does this [AIDA] of yours have to offer?"

"For starters," Ovan said with a thin smile. "Have you checked the record of the players who were in the room that it is currently occupying? There was a single survivor in the incident it is looping the replay of. A survivor I'm certain you are interested in."

Ohoh? Curious, I checked the recording and sure enough, there was one survivor. A dark-haired boy in a black coat. The look of despair on his face as his final comrade fell was…compelling. I felt a slight smile forming. This could prove quite the interesting way to pass the time indeed.

"Very well," I said, not allowing my voice to betray my intrigue. "I'll allow this [AIDA] to exist in my world for now. But should it prove to be a threat to the stability of the world as it did yours, it shall be purged."

Now then, rogue intelligence; show me what you are capable of…

* * *

_December 8__th__ 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

"Oh man! That hit the spot!" Klein exclaimed as he patted his stomach.

That so-called "friend" just ate half of Asuna's home-cooked meal by himself…what a jerk. I barely managed to scoop up a plateful before the entire feast vanished before my eyes. The reason being that «Fuurinkazan» and a few other invited guests were joining us today to celebrate the opening of the 80th floor. Still, I was happy to see so many familiar faces, including Silica, whom I hadn't met in what seemed like months. Of course, Asuna gave me a strange look when Silica started calling me "onii-chan", a look that Yui picked up on and mirrored.

The girls were settling down for a slumber party here at the KoB headquarters which left us guys to chat amongst ourselves. It was kind of strange, hosting a party at the base of what was once the strictest clearing guild in SAO, but I think this was a welcome change.

"I should drop by more often," Klein stated. "I'm so envious of you Kirito, getting to eat Asuna-san's home-made cooking every day."

Haseo sipped some tea from his cup before saying, "By all means, come and visit. I'm sure Alkaid would be happy to help out in preparing extra-large meals for you."

Klein's face paled and he immediately declined Haseo's generous offer.

By now, Alkaid's cooking had reached a near legendary status amongst the clearers. Every day without fail, she would make a lunch for Haseo. And every day without fail, she would manage to guilt him into eating it. She'd earned another nickname in addition to [The Crimson Whirlwind], which she received for her speed and grace on the battlefield. Behind her back, she was known as [The Crystal Chef]. Because you'd better hope you had a status healing crystal handy when eating her food.

"Hey Silabus, how's your shop doing these days?" I asked.

Ever since he dropped clearing duties, the young man from Haseo's world had seemed a lot more cheerful. His shop was currently my second stop for supplies since when I couldn't find something at Agil's, Silabus usually had it in stock.

"Things are going great," he replied. "I just bought the building next to my shop to expand."

"Oh wow, don't let Agil hear you say that," Klein chuckled. "The apprentice has surpassed the master. How much business are you taking in?"

"I'm not really sure," Silabus answered. "But thanks to Tomoe-san's advertising my shop in the papers, I've been getting a lot of customers. Maybe…two million in profits a day? That's sounds about right for a normal day."

"T-t-two million!?" Klein exclaimed, grabbing Silabus by the shoulders. "Just to be sure, we're talking «Col» here, right?"

I managed to keep my astonishment to myself. Two million «Col» a day. That was a ridiculously large sum. If that was true, Silabus made about as much as I'd earned in two years in this game every three days. How was that even possible? Could it be that Tomoe's influence with the player-base was _that_ great?

I glanced over at the woman in question who was now engaging in what appeared to be a horror story telling contest with the other girls. They had dimmed the lighting on that side of the room and had set up burning candles in front of each of them, arranged in a small circle. I grinned to myself, I should keep an eye out for Asuna's reaction; she never was good with those kinds of tales.

"So this is a true story I heard from a player I met in a tavern in «Algade» the other day. And he gave me a photo as proof," she began in a low whisper.

The girls leaned in, looking scared, but also eager for more.

"Now this takes place well below the front-lines, somewhere near the thirtieth floor. The man in question, let us call him 'Swordsman A,' was soloing in the labyrinth for materials when he heard sounds coming from nearby. To him, it sounded like a battle going on, and one that wasn't going well for the players," Tomoe continued.

The girls leaned in even closer and I found myself straining my ears to hear. Even if the system doesn't actually allow for that to work, it was a hard habit to break. It wasn't so much the story itself that drew our attention, but the mysterious tone Tomoe spoke in; a siren's voice that promised everything and nothing all at once.

"Now, when he reached the room where the sounds of battle were loudest and opened the door, what did you think he saw?" she asked innocently.

"What?" her audience replied, clearly interested in the twist her story clearly held.

I suppressed the urge to chuckle at the expressions on their faces. Asuna looked halfway to tears already, but also so engaged that it was clear she wanted to hear the end. Silica was clutching Pina so tightly that the feathery dragon was trying to squirm its way out of her embrace. Liz was shaking silently, but from this angle, I couldn't see her expression. Alkaid had left for a "bathroom break" after the last story, a particularly chilling tale spun by Argo and hadn't returned yet; nor did I think she would anytime soon. The only person who was having the time of her life, aside from Tomoe, was Argo.

Tomoe and Argo had hit it off instantly after meeting one another. Prior to today, it seemed that they had never met in person before; but each had heard of the other as a fellow dealer in information. It just happened that one preferred mass-media while the other preferred a more personal touch. They had quickly discovered a second point of interest; that of teasing those they felt close with for entertainment. If they ever decided to work together, I'd suggest running for the hills.

"Nothing," Tomoe answered after a dramatic pause. "The room was completely empty."

The girls all let out a sigh of relief.

"But the story doesn't end there."

Another sharp intake of breath from her audience.

"As he turned to leave, understandably confused, and the door began to close slowly behind him, grinding against the ground, stone on stone; he heard it again. The sounds of battle. Desperate cries. The sounds of shattering, as if monsters or players had met their end…Again, coming from the empty room he had just left."

There was a sharp squeak as Pina tried to tell Silica that she was squeezing too hard.

"When 'Swordsman A' opened the door again, peering in cautiously, he found that the room was, once again, just as empty as he had left it. Bare except for the single open treasure chest that had already been inside. But this time, as he turned around and the door began to close, he caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye…"

Tomoe paused her storytelling for a moment, letting the suspense build.

"And once again, when the door finally opened to the room, it was completely empty. But this time, 'Swordsman A' decided to try to take a screen capture. And so, as he turned around to leave, he set the picture to be taken a split second later. The sounds started up yet again, but instead of walking out, 'Swordsman A' spun around completely. But again, he saw nothing except for that one open chest in the middle of the room. Thinking that perhaps he was getting tired and just imagining things, 'Swordsman A' returned to town. He had almost put his experience out of mind until he thought to check the picture he had taken."

Tomoe fiddled around with a few menus, prompting a small glowing image to appear before her. From this distance, I couldn't make out the contents.

"This is the very picture he sent to me this morning and he seemed glad to be rid of it. Blurred perhaps due to shoddy camera-work, but the contents are clear enough. Monsters that weren't present. A battle that wasn't taking place. And a young girl falling to the ground with a sad smile on her face, her body already scattering into the light; someone he'd never seen before. A glitch in the system? Or perhaps…something more sinister? Perhaps…the dead aren't as far gone as we believe…"

Dramatically picking up her candle and blowing it out with a puff of air (actually, she did so by pushing the off button from a menu for the lighting object) Tomoe ended her story.

"KKKKKYYYAAAAAAAA!"

A piercing scream filled the air, causing the guys on our side of the room to jump up. Most of us had been discussing battle tactics; Klein and some of Silabus's friends who were interested in joining the front-lines had been particularly into the conversation.

"What is it?" Klein asked loudly, placing a hand on his katana.

The lights had gone back on in the girl's half of the room. A tearful Asuna was holding onto an equally afraid Silica, with Pina struggling to get free from between the two of them. Liz was lying flat on her back; I think she might have fainted. Argo was chuckling to herself, but I think I saw some shivering on her part as well.

Something about that story caught my attention. A light sense of apprehension filled me as I walked over to that side of the room.

"Tomoe-san," I said. "Do you mind if I take a look at that photo?"

"Go ahead," she said, moving the window over so I could see the image.

As she had said, the image was blurry and was marred by black spots. I could make out the girl she was talking about though. I felt my mind go blank and my arms dropped to my side. I _knew_ her. It was something that I will remember for the rest of my life. An old memory surfaced.

"_You won't die."_

Those were the words I had said. The promise I had made. Empty words.

I was vaguely aware of being dragged by the collar back to the men's side by Klein who was saying something that sounded like, "Oi Kirito, we know you're a hit with the ladies, but you gotta stay on this side."

The rest of the party passed in a blur. Even after everyone had gone to bed. Even after Asuna and I entered our room, that picture still occupied my mind. I didn't get any sleep. Because _her_ face would have haunted my dreams.

_Sachi_. A member of my first guild, «Black Cats of the Full Moon». The one I failed to protect due to my own selfishness and insecurity.

-o-

I left the guild headquarters at about 4 in the morning. From experience, I knew Asuna set her alarm for 7:50. Even though I knew that while sleeping, outside stimuli wouldn't disrupt her sleep, I made sure to be as quiet as possible. It probably wasn't right not to let her know I was going, but this was something that I had to deal with on my own. I couldn't let Asuna get caught up in matters of my past. So I left her a brief message saying I wanted to check out a rumor I had heard that had been bothering me and that I'd be back as soon as I could.

It was rather chilly outside although the cold air also helped to clear my mind and sharpen my senses. At this hour, the streets were completely devoid of people. One or two lights were still on in a few buildings and the streets were lit, but I doubted anyone would notice a lone figure. I quickly made my way over to the town center.

The 27th floor of Aincrad.

I had not been here in some time. Not since the «Black Cats of the Full Moon» had been annihilated. We should have just left after reaching our goal on that day. If only Ducker hadn't found that treasure chest. If only I had revealed my experience as a front-liner and persuaded them against opening it…

And in no time at all since I could instantly kill any normal monster on this floor, I reached that room. I stretched my hand out hesitantly. It must have taken a good five minutes before I managed to work up the courage to open it. But eventually, it slid open slowly. Stone grinding on stone, sounding far louder in my mind than reality.

An empty room. A single open treasure chest. No sounds of battle and no signs of inhabitants.

I let out a sigh of relief. I guess that story was just a tall tale to scare the other girls during the sleepover. That photo must have been edited in some way, the resemblance just a coincidence. Of course it was. The dead couldn't come back to life, no matter how much we wished it could happen.

I should get back to the headquarters. Staying out for too long would definitely make Asuna worry needlessly. But there was a sense of disappointment twisting in my heart when I turned around to leave. As I reached for the door…

"Kirito…"

A soft voice. An unforgettable voice. Someone I had never expected to hear from again. I felt time slow to a crawl as I turned around and her smiling face came into view.

"Sa—chi…"

* * *

_December 8, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Haseo_

I tried and failed to suppress a yawn as I walked into the dining area of the KoB base. It was just past 8, so I didn't really expect anyone to be awake just yet. Not after last night's party. Maybe there was some left-over food from last night that hadn't had its durability reduced to zero yet. I was surprised to see that there were two people already awake at this hour.

"Morning Asuna-san, Yui" I greeted them. "Kirito's not up yet?"

"Morning Oji-chan," Yui replied cheerfully. Then, in a whisper as if she was telling me a secret, "Papa's not here. He left early this morning. Mama's upset that he didn't even wait until she was awake."

"Yui!" Asuna protested. "I'm not upset with him. It's just that—he could have waited a little…"

"Well, knowing him, he'll probably be back before you know it," I said, reassuring her. "With a grin on his face while asking if there's any food left for him."

"Yeah, you're right," Asuna agreed, shedding her worried expression for a smile. It seemed a little forced to me. "What about you, Haseo-san? Any plans for the day?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I'll probably check out the field on the new floor for a bit and then head down to Silabus's to see how he's doing."

To be honest, I hated having a day off from the front-lines. Every day that we take off feels like a day that was wasted when I could have been getting closer to saving Atoli. Of course, I could always explore the labyrinth alone, but playing solo on the highest floor was just too risky for me to want to chance. There were other people besides Atoli that I needed to help return to our world; I couldn't just run off on my own for selfish reasons anymore.

The new floor was covered in snow. I guess that it should have been expected since the seasons here matched those of the outside world. It was a mostly tree-less map and would probably have been considered a rustic countryside during a warmer season. The majority of enemies I faced were some sort of boar/man hybrids. Most wielded crude axes or what looked like repurposed farming implements, but larger ones were equipped with armor and had spears. They also traveled in groups of 3 or 4, which made hunting them a more challenging experience. After getting two skill levels for my scythe which unlocked a new skill, «**Reaper's Breath**», I decided to call it quits and head on down to «Algade».

There was a small crowd of people outside Silabus's shop. I knew he was successful but you would think that with this many people, some would have gone elsewhere for their shopping needs. I pressed my way through the mass, getting a few angry looks in the process for cutting in line.

Silabus, when he noticed me entering, waved me over.

"Wow, busy day," I noted, as he rang up a purchase for a customer.

He smiled broadly, "About the usual. I'm thinking about hiring players to help out around here. NPC assistants are fine and all, but they just can't beat 1-on-1 customer interaction."

"Yeah, I remember. That's what you loved most about running the guild shop in [The World]," I replied. "Are you planning on taking a lunch break soon?"

"Let me finish up here, I'll meet you at the usual café once I'm done."

"The usual café" was a small player-run business we had found not long after Silabus had opened his shop. All the food there was made by the owner, one of the few players who had bothered to level his cooking skill. In other words, stuff there tasted way better than at the typical NPC run stalls; it wasn't on par with Asuna's cooking, but it was good.

I was leaning back in a cushioned chair, balancing on the hind legs, when a familiar voice spoke out from behind me.

"Well, it's rather rare to see you in town in the middle of the day."

Tomoe sat down in the seat across from me.

"The same could be said of you. I would have thought that you'd either be scrounging around for information or training with your friends to reach the front."

"Well, taking a day off after a floor has been cleared is a bit of a tradition for all of us," she replied. "Though how you use it is up to you. I assume you've been into the field on the 80th floor by now? Care to tell me a little about it?"

I told her my first impression of the area. She nodded every so often to show she was listening as she jotted down the details. Once I had finished, she put away the small notebook where she kept her notes.

"By the way," I asked. "What did you show Kirito last night? He seemed kind of out of it during the celebration and now that I think about it, that was only after he went over to the girl's side for a bit."

"Just a picture," she said, shrugging. "Something I received from a player who was hoping I'd write an article on it. Care to see?"

I nodded. I don't know what, but if it was something that was bothering Kirito enough that he would head off without telling Asuna, it must have been serious. My fears were confirmed when I saw the image. I don't know who that girl was and I certainly didn't recognize the room, but I _did_ know what that bubbly black effect was.

"Where was this taken?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

Tomoe looked at me, a bit puzzled, but answered, "The 27th floor. I can show you on the map if you want."

"Please."

10 minutes later, I was at the entrance to the location Tomoe had given me. Just as a precaution, I sent a message to Zelkova telling him to contact Alkaid if I didn't send him another mail within an hour in this world (which we figured out was somewhere around 10 seconds in our own world a while back.) I also asked Tomoe to wait at the café to let Silabus know that I had to get going.

"I hope I'm not too late," I muttered to myself as I pushed the door open.

Kirito was standing in the middle of the room, looking a little dazed but fine. The girl I had seen in Tomoe's picture was beside him. Even without that thin smile across her face, my instincts screamed "danger." I've dealt with enough [AIDA] in my own world to be able to sense them without seeing the telltale bubbly black mass that occasionally marked their appearance.

"Oh, Haseo," Kirito said. "You've never met her before, but this is Sachi. A friend of mine…"

The slow, almost deliberate, speaking pattern Kirito now spoke in was unsettling. Sachi looked at me curiously, likely appraising what level of threat I was to "her."

"Kirito…get away from her," I warned. "That's an [AIDA]. If you're not careful, it'll take hold of you through your emotions."

Though I said those words, I suspected that I was already too late to sway him. But if there was a chance that anyone could shake off [AIDA]'s influence, I knew Kirito would be able to do it.

"What do you mean, Haseo?" he asked, puzzled. "[AIDA]? This is Sachi. I failed to protect her once, but the system has given me another chance…"

"Kirito, come on. You know that's not possible," I replied. "Let's go back. Asuna-san's waiting for you."

"A—suna?" he repeated slowly. Some part of him could recognize the name.

"Yes, the one who cares about you the most in this world. Don't tell me you've forgotten her?" I continued. If I could get him away from that thing's influence…

For a moment, it seemed like it would work, but then the [AIDA] or Sachi wrapped her arms around Kirito from behind.

"Don't go," she (it) pleaded. "You promised that I wouldn't die, remember Kirito? That you'd protect me?"

I drew my weapons.

"Get away from him," I said, trying to put as much malice into my glare as possible.

"Kirito…" she whispered.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, Haseo," Kirito said coldly. He no longer looked like he was in a daze. "But I _won't_ let you harm Sachi."

He drew [Dark Repulser] and [Elucidator] from the sheaths on his back and dropped down into his combat stance. We faced each other for a brief moment, the calm before the storm. I knew that the moment one of us made a move, us two dual-wielding swordsmen, there would be no turning back. But I didn't want to harm Kirito; my goal was the girl, the [AIDA] behind him. I couldn't [Data Drain] it, not with Kirito right in front of it; he would get caught up in the attack. I had to ensure that he wouldn't try to block the shot. So it would come down to a fight between us after all…

Kirito broke the stillness between us, leaping forwards faster than I expected. Bringing my arms across my chest, I blocked the twin strikes that arced for my neck from both sides with my own swords. Another time, I might have admired the precision and speed of those blades, but from that brief exchange, I knew Kirito was serious. Hi player indicator changed from green to orange.

"Damn it Kirito! Wake up already! She's not real!"

Switching to reverse grip on my swords as Kirito pulled back for a second attack, I slashed down and across in an "X," forcing him to take a step backwards. I pressed the attack, aiming for his arms. I was trying for a limb detachment which wouldn't be fatal and could be healed up with a crystal later.

But it seemed like Kirito knew what I was up to because he parried my attacks and returned the favor. Two slashes aimed for the neck. A thrust meant to pierce my heart. A cyclone of steel in which every attack was meant to end the fight as soon as possible. This was Kirito when he was serious.

I found myself getting pushed back. I couldn't afford to fight against an opponent of this caliber without giving it my all. Focusing on my blades and his, I renewed my assault. A low cut parallel to the ground at knee level. A two-hit combo, one blade striking downwards at full force and a second perpendicular slash going for his left elbow. A rapid series of stabs going for his shoulders. Kirito avoided them all by a hair's breadth.

We danced about the room, keeping up our attack rhythm. The space between us was a death trap, a territory nothing could enter without being sliced into ribbons. Both of us were unyielding and unrelenting. It is said that in a battle between high-level swordsmen, it was possible to understand your opponent through his blade. Both of us understood perfectly that our goals this time around were mutually exclusive. One of us would fail.

The two of us exchanged blows, getting nowhere. After a particularly long flurry, there was once again several meters between the two of us. A distance that could be covered almost instantly with a «Sword Skill».

Our eyes met for one moment before the two of us lowered our stances, readying for another round. This time, we both seemed to know that it was time to play our final card.

"«Starburst Stream»," we both intoned at the same moment.

Our blades met in a shower of sparks. A 16-hit combo that was only usable by wielders of «Dual Swords». Had Alkaid and I not entered this world, it would be a skill only Kirito could use. The swordsman in black mirrored my every move, or perhaps it was I who mirrored him. Each of my blows was met by one of his as the system assisted us in completing our attacks. My attacks should have been stronger than his due to the difference in our levels. Was the fact that we were evenly matched a sign that I was less determined than he? Was it a sign that [AIDA]'s influence on him was growing? Or was this the true strength of Kirito, the Kirito who had something he wanted to protect?

Our «Sword Skills» ended at exactly the same time and both of us were hit with the post-attack stun. I instantly swapped weapons to [Broad Legged]. Because of how the mechanics of weapon swapping worked, I exited the post-attack stun more quickly than Kirito.

"«Cleave»," I called out as my blade glowed an angry red.

As my attack swung in from the right, time slowed. Kirito's expression was one of regret as his eyes turned back towards Sachi. My sword had completed half of its arc already. I didn't realize it at first, but I was meeting Kirito's ferocity and strength with everything I had.

_Damn it,_ I thought. _What am I doing? I'm not trying to kill him!_

I focused everything I had into stopping the skill from connecting. The skill ended, but I was hit by a long moment where I couldn't move due to forcibly ending the skill. That proved to be a mistake.

A spear passed under Kirito's arm and struck me in the shoulder. Holding that weapon was Sachi, or rather, the [AIDA]. A stream of black bubbles gushed out from where the point had stuck into my armor. The attack barely moved my health bar, but all the same, I dropped to my knees. Because I felt heavy. _Something_ was spreading from where the weapon had hit. I felt drained, tired, unable to act. My vision blurred.

_Damn it_, I thought. _I screwed up. Sorry Kirito…Silabus and Alkaid…A—toli._

It was getting hard to think. The last thing that came into my field of view before everything darkened completely was Sachi looking down at me with a wide smile across her face.

* * *

_December 8__th__, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Alkaid_

There wasn't much to do today so after waking up late, (I slept until 11, have a problem with that?) I ate and then went back into my room to check my inventory. I still had a lot of cooking materials left, so I decided to spend my day off leveling that skill.

That was why the kitchen was a disorganized mess by 12:30. While leveling my cooking skill, the more ingredients I use in an attempt, the more skill experience I gained as long as each ingredient in the recipe is unique. The results of those mixtures, as might be expected, contained a bit of each flavor generated by SAO's taste engine for the ingredients I used which meant that by and large, they tasted horrible. And since a lot of the ingredients were also used for making potions and poisons, the results also occasionally (ok, most of the time,) had unusual side-effects.

Normally, I would toss out those results, but with all the times Haseo has mocked my cooking so far, I decided it would be far more entertaining to watch him eat them. Of course, I planned on cooking for him for real eventually, but petty revenge also had its perks.

The few times I've cooked using a normal amount of ingredients, the food turned out great, but I told Asuna not to let him know I made it since I wanted to surprise him with something extravagant. Maybe if I got my hands on an S-class ingredient…

About an hour after I got started, Yui burst into the room shouting, "Red oba-chan, Red oba-chan!"

I was happy that she thought of me like family, but I wish she had picked a nickname that didn't make me feel a decade older than I was. Still, the little AI, Kirito and Asuna's daughter of sorts, and I got along well. Maybe it was the way she threw the normally stiff and serious players in KoB off guard. Without her around, you would think that this place was a funeral parlor.

"What is it Yui-chan?" I asked, chopping up some vegetables on the cutting board.

"It's Oji-chan!" Yui pleaded. "Something bad's happened to him!"

My knife dropped to the kitchen floor with a clatter.

"Haseo?" I asked in a panic. "What's happened to him? Where is he?"

"I don't know!" she replied desperately. "But he needs our help!"

As we ran out the front door, Yui leading, I asked her, "What about Asuna? Shouldn't we let her know?"

"Mama?" Yui answered. "Mama left a while ago looking for papa. Papa hasn't returned yet…"

No Asuna and no Kirito. If it was something that Haseo couldn't handle, I would have liked their help. No use regretting not being able to get help, so I followed Yui down to a floor I'd never visited before. I don't know if we were lucky, but we didn't run into a single monster along the way.

Pushing the door to the room open, the first thing I saw was Haseo lying on the ground, his sword beside him.

"Haseo!" I called out, running to him and flipping him onto his back.

He was still breathing…good. I checked his health bar and had to do a double take. Full and no status effects so far as I could tell. It almost looked like he was just asleep. Had we not been in the middle of a dungeon, that would have been my guess. Yui walked up next to me.

"Something doesn't feel right here," she whispered. "We should leave. Now."

"Is it possible to carry him?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered. "You can carry people into a town but not out of one. For safety reasons."

After a short pause, she added with a shiver. "But it's better if I transport us. I don't want to draw attention from the system, but it's better to get away from here fast."

Without waiting for a reply from me, I felt a tug from the back, like a giant invisible hand was grabbing onto me. A second later, I found myself back inside my room on the 55th floor. We put Haseo on my bed for now and sat down on the edge of the bed.

I placed a hand on his forehead.

"What happened to him?"

Yui looked at me and, looking concerned, answered, "I don't know, Oba-chan. But whatever happened, [Skeith]'s going berserk over it. I can keep it in check, but I haven't felt it this…active since the first time we met."

I held Haseo's hand and whispered to him, "You better be fine. I won't forgive you if you aren't. You'd better wake up and say something like 'I tricked you' or 'that was a good nap,' you hear me?"

But of course, there was no response. Yui gave me a hug from behind but I barely noticed. I wish I didn't feel so lost.

* * *

*notes- I actually finished this chapter at the beginning of the week, but due to losing power for several days (thank you so much Hurricane Sandy…) posting this was delayed. This is the first part of a new arc. As you might have guessed from the events in this chapter, it'll have a darker tone than the previous arc. Special thanks to Catsy for showing me how to add guillemets («») to the story. I'll be using those for SAO terms and the brackets I've been using up to now for .Hack terms to differentiate the two. Oh, and if you haven't checked it out by now, ToumaFF's Sao Fandom Nexus is a great forum to share ideas about SAO fics, join us sometime.

Back to the chapter. For those unfamiliar with how [AIDA] works, it influences the mental state of those it infects and usually roots itself in their fears and insecurities. Kirito still has quite a lot of lingering guilt over what happened to his old guild which is why it was able to affect him so easily.

As usual, leave comments, suggestions, critique/criticism, questions, etc. in a review or a PM and I'll try to answer what I can without giving spoilers.


	10. Chapter 10: Black Cat's Crossing, Part 2

**Chapter 10- Black Cat's Crossing, Part II**

_December 8, 2024, 50__th__ floor of Aincrad, Asuna_

I was a nervous wreck for most of the day. Even though I knew what Haseo saying about Kirito returning soon was probably true, I couldn't help but feel jittery. At least I knew that Kirito was still alive, thanks to my friends list and our in-game marriage but apart from that, I had no idea where he was. He wasn't showing up on my maps at all which meant he might be in a dungeon. That would also explain why I wasn't able to get in contact with him.

I had been nervously wandering about «Grandum» the entire morning, walking by those familiar black steel towers without paying heed to where I was going. I'm fairly certain that several players had tried to initiate a conversation with me but, due to being lost in thought, I had just walked on by. I'll probably need to apologize later. But that same pensiveness was what led me to this part of «Grandum». It was the closest thing this city of steel and stone had to a park. No trees or shrubbery, but there was at least some grass and a few benches. Sitting there, waiting for me was a familiar cloaked figure.

"Hey Asuna-chan, it's rare for you to call me out so suddenly," Argo said. Her expression said that she was trying to hide her concern as she put a nervous smile on her face. "What do you need from me?"

I sat down on the bench behind her, my back facing hers. I didn't trust myself to be able to keep a neutral expression on my face and I didn't want to expose that to her. Not just because I wanted to keep up a reputation for being a "strong leader," but because I didn't really trust her not to take a screen capture; I'm almost certain she stocked up on those items before our sleepover for her own nefarious purposes.

"Have you seen Kirito-kun at all today?" I asked her. "I haven't been able to reach him at all and I'm starting to get a bad feeling about it."

"Ki-bou?" Argo mused. "Can't say I have. But this isn't like you at all. He's only been gone for a few hours, right?"

"Mmm, but he's never gone off by himself like this before. And the message he wrote—it's worrying."

I changed the settings on the message so that anyone could read them and passed the screen over to her. She gave it a quick read before closing the menu. «The Rat», as Aincrad's top informant, had excellent analytical skills and was able to glean useful information out of the smallest details. If anyone could work out the reason behind Kirito's odd behavior, it was her.

"Asuna-chan…" she began slowly. "I'll contact you again if I find anything that's related to this. But there's something I need to check on before I can be absolutely sure my suspicions are correct. I'll message you once I have what you want to know—we can negotiate a price when that time comes."

She got up to leave, dusting off the back of her cloak. Although she didn't mention anything, I had the feeling that she was trying to hide something from me.

"Hold on Argo-chan," I exclaimed, getting up and turning to face her as she walked away. "You know something, don't you? You figured something out…"

She stopped for a moment, turned about briefly, and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Asuna-chan, sorry. I don't know anything concrete. Like I said, I have my suspicions, but suspicions and information that is worth something are two very different things."

With that said, she hurried off into the city, disappearing swiftly into one of the many alleyways. I stood there for a time, staring at where she had vanished. Argo has never lied to me before. But that doesn't mean that she was telling me the whole truth. Her words alone meant that she had figured something out. And the reason she refused to say it now was probably because it wasn't something I would want to hear.

A pinging noise shook me out of my daze.

A message from Alkaid?

I could feel the blood draining out of my face as I read over the contents. For a brief moment, even my search for Kirito was forgotten as I turned and raced back to the KoB headquarters.

-o-

"Is he alright?" I blurted out as I burst into Alkaid's room.

I took in my surroundings. Haseo lying on his back atop her bed, looking as if he were asleep. From what Alkaid had written, I knew that wasn't true. Alkaid was sitting at the edge of the bed, fiddling with her fingers and looking down at the ground. She looked up towards me. I could tell she was close to tears, but trying hard to hold them back. The need to show a strong public face…she and I were very much alike in many ways. Yui ran forwards and gave me a hug with a cry of "Mama!"

"Hey Yui-chan," I said softly, patting her head. "Were you a good girl while I was away?"

"Mmmm," she agreed.

I turned to face Alkaid, looking her in the eyes. "I got your message. Do you have any idea of what happened?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "But I received a message from Zelkova-san. He said that Haseo told him to contact me if he didn't hear from him. He also mentioned that this incident—might be related to [AIDA]. It's not something we players can handle alone so he says he's going to send help through a backdoor route. What about you? Did you manage to find Kirito-kun?"

I shook my head.

"I couldn't find any trace of him. As much as I hate to trouble others over personal matters, I asked Argo-san to help me. You don't think—that Kirito-kun is involved in the same incident as Haseo-san…do you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't suspect it," Alkaid replied. "It's just too much to be a coincidence. Both of them going to investigate something on their own on the same day…I'd really like to say that it was chance, especially if [AIDA] is involved."

She laughed derisively and added, "Boys…Even when they're trying hard not to trouble you by trying to fix something on their own, they still manage to do so."

I noted the way she gently pushed his hair back and looked at his face. Things clicked together.

"You like him, don't you?" I asked softly. There had been hints before, but not enough for me to guess that they were anything other than close friends.

She turned red almost instantly and tried but failed to stammer a denial. After a moment, her shoulders slumped and she replied more honestly.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

I arched an eyebrow. Really, she couldn't have been more obvious without painting a giant sign in red and hanging it around her neck.

Alkaid sighed and continued speaking, "You know, I actually hated him when we first met. I thought he was a cheater who only fought in the arena as a way of seeking attention… But after a while—after I found out what his goals in the game were and how he was trying to protect those around him while also looking for a way to save a friend of his who had fallen into a coma while playing [The World]…And how he saved me after I was PK'd by a player infected by [AIDA] and ended up in a coma myself…"

She trailed off for a moment, smiling sadly at the boy resting on the bed. After about a minute of silence, she looked back up towards me.

"I guess it's my turn to repay him for that," she said, sounding more determined than before. "I don't know how yet, but I'm going to get him back for sure."

"Didn't you mention that Zelkova was going to send help?" I asked.

If [AIDA] was as bad as Alkaid made it out to be, we could use all the help we could get. I checked my contacts again, but Kirito's name was still unavailable.

Alkaid confirmed what I had said. "I guess he'll be sending a program or something. Maybe a way to protect against [AIDA] or a way to break through its defenses. Something small that won't be noticed by «Cardinal»."

The words had barely left her mouth when a bright blue flame appeared in the air by the door to the room. It hovered for a few seconds before touching down on the ground and exploding into a bonfire-sized blaze. I placed a hand on my sword, ready to take action.

The fire swirled around, spiraling for a brief moment before dissipating. Where the flame had once burned stood a thin, lanky figure. The first things I noticed about him were those lifeless green eyes and a bright orange outfit with a thick belt across the chest. He wore a large orange hat with an emblem shaped like a "W" on it which covered messy hair as blue as the flames that he had appeared from. Several smaller belts were wrapped about parts of his outfit and I noticed that his clothes seemed stitched together. Actually, rather than the clothes being stitched together, it almost looked as if _he_ were the one that was patched up. A low growl emanated from behind the three belts that made up the collar of his vest.

I drew my sword.

"Wait a second," Alkaid said, pulling me back. "I think he's the help Zelkova sent."

The figure let out another growl and I could almost hear the agreement in his voice. He looked like a player, but I couldn't sense any signs of life from him. It was unsettling; I felt like I was looking at a walking corpse.

Thankfully, Alkaid received confirmation moments later in another mail from Zelkova. I glanced over her shoulder to read what it said. There were a lot of extra characters and smilies inserted into the message, but filtering all those out, it said:

_I hope my "package" got to you safely. I tried to send the rest of the Azure Knights but whoever's in charge on your end knows what he is doing. As it was, I barely managed to get Kite over before the backdoor closed completely. I doubt I'll be able to send anything more than messages until I find a new way around this block. Hopefully this evens the odds against you if there really is an [AIDA] on that side._

_ -Zelkova_

I turned towards our newest ally.

"So…you're Kite?" I asked, eyeing him apprehensively. "Nice to meet you, I think…"

The newcomer growled again; not the most articulate of allies.

* * *

_December 8, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Argo_

"Damn it Ki-bou, why do you have to make things hard on me?" I complained as I traced the path he had taken since this morning.

As an informant, the «Tracking» skill was vital. Mine was nearly maxed out after two years of a life that was sometimes indistinguishable from a spy movie. I really should record my adventures sometime and make a movie. All I would need is a good romantic side-plot and I'd win an award for sure.

I had made sure that my path didn't cross with Asuna's again; that wasn't a landmine I was eager to step on just yet. She already suspected that I knew more than I let on. That much was true, but I needed more links before I was willing to sell her the information as "accurate." Like any good, high quality information commanded a high price but an inferior product was near worthless. That was the difference between Tomoe and I. _She_ teased out facts from multiple supporting rumors from second-hand sources. _I_ took each rumor and traced it to its source in order to root out the facts.

I had already received a copy of the picture Tomoe had shown Ki-bou. It was fairly obvious that this image was what he was concerned about. If I could figure out who the girl in the image was, I'd have a good lead to follow. Judging by the plainly evident «Player Death Effect» in the image, whoever she was, she was no longer alive. A deceased female player; that classification was rare enough in this world to make searching easy. I sent a message to one of my contacts; someone who had a special talent for remembering faces and names no matter how briefly he had encountered them. If he heard your name spoken in a darkened bar on some corner of Aincrad, chances were that he would be able to pick you out from amongst a crowd months later and call you by name.

As I had expected, Ki-bou's footprints led from the KoB headquarters to the town center where they vanished. Which was why I silently cursed at how much trouble this guy was causing me. Now I'd have to go down to each floor and search for where they began again. What was it Tomoe had said? _Around the thirtieth floor?_ I guess I'll work my way down from there. Really, Asuna's going to owe me big for this…maybe I'll see if she can spare Ki-bou for a day once we find him and drag him back.

It only took a few tries before I found where his trail reappeared. The 27th floor. The glowing path of footprints led out into the field before disappearing into the labyrinth. More fun…

-o-

It wasn't hard to find the room Ki-bou had gone into. As I stepped in, I realized that the location was a dead match for the one in Tomoe's picture. Just as I had feared it might. But then, I noticed something strange.

The way his steps within this room were arranged. At first, it looked like a random, chaotic mess. But as I studied them and placed my own feet on top of where he had stood before, I realized that Ki-bou must have been fighting someone or something in this room. Not only fighting something, but something that managed to force him back more than once.

I glanced around nervously. Whatever it was, it wasn't still here…was it? I noted that Ki-bou's footprints eventually left the room, wandering off somewhere again. I followed them in a hurry, glad to leave that place; the room made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It almost felt as if something was watching me the whole time I was inside.

The trail led out of the labyrinth (for which I was grateful) and back into the town. I wondered why I didn't cross over these newer prints before, but it seemed he entered from a different direction than when he left. I had also received a message while I was inside the dungeon, a glowing indicator told me that it was waiting to be accessed.

Let's see here…Name: Sachi, confirmed to be deceased. Former guild…«Black Cats of the Full Moon». Ki-bou's first guild. No doubt that over-thinking boy was beating himself up over her death and went after the slimmest hope that she might have still been alive.

I followed Ki-bou's path back to the town center. Strange—I hadn't noticed the second set of footprints approaching the teleportation square earlier. That must mean that he had returned after I set out from this floor. I missed him by no more than 45 minutes.

Well, if he was done here, I guess Asuna has nothing to worry about. I probably don't even need to message her as he'd likely have returned by now, all smiles and pretending everything was fine…the idiot. He should rely on us more to help him when he needs it. Boys seem to think that shouldering everything on their own makes them tough. All it really does is crush them under a weight they don't need to bear alone. I was just about to teleport back to my usual haunting grounds when I felt the now familiar sensation that first caused me to want to deal in information rather than fight on the frontlines or sell a physical (virtual) product to other players.

A voice telling me that this was worth pursuing. A curiosity that made me want to see this through to the end. And I couldn't really just leave Asuna hanging without asking her if Ki-bou had returned yet. But I also didn't want to worry her by saying that he left the floor he had gone to and find out later that he hadn't actually returned. I made up my mind; keep following behind him.

I sighed. Right now, I felt like one of those private eyes hired by a wife to shadow her husband in order to find out if he was having an affair.

_Ki-bou_, I vowed to myself silently. _I will tease you mercilessly and relentlessly for making me go through all this trouble. And I won't stop until I'm satisfied._

* * *

_December 8, 2024, 27__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

I followed behind Sachi in a daze. For the hundredth time today, I marveled at the miracle that she was there before me. At first I had wondered how that was possible. I _saw_ her die in front of me that day a year and a half ago. There could be no mistaking what had happened. I had failed back then.

But then, how was it possible that she was here? A glitch in the system? A hallucination brought on by too much time trapped in this world? No, that couldn't be true. She had a presence here. Her smile was as I remembered and nothing about her had changed since that fateful day. I focused on the hand that held mine. Warm and solid, as if reassuring me that this was real.

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

She turned around briefly and smiled reassuringly, "Just follow me. I want to talk with you for a while, Kirito. Just like we used to."

I barely noticed walking through the town, though I'm sure that we drew a fair amount of attention. After all, a cute girl and a swordsman with two swords strapped to his back, we made for an unusual pair in this world.

A swordsman with two swords…there had been someone like that earlier hadn't there? He had said something about Sachi and then threatened her well-being. We had fought, I'm sure of that. Even though I had tried my best to end the fight quickly and decisively, our battle had dragged on. Despite me going all out, he proved to be a match for me even while holding back…proof that I was in the same position that I was in a year and a half ago—too weak to protect a single girl to whom I had made a promise.

I groaned as a spike of pain shot through my head. What had happened at the conclusion of our fight? I couldn't remember. And no matter how hard I tried, the memory wouldn't surface. It was as if those moments had been erased out of my life.

"Kirito?" Sachi asked. "Are you alright? You look pale…we're almost there. Just hold on, ok?"

I nodded, feeling weak in the legs. Right—focus on the present. The past is the past. The past was when I had failed to protect Sachi. I couldn't afford to do so again in the future. So in order to do so, I won't allow myself to become distracted.

We stopped at an isolated area far from the town center we had emerged at. Sachi climbed inside a large drain pipe that was more than big enough for her to crouch in and beckoned for me to do the same. I looked around me and was nearly overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. This was the spot where I had first told her that she wouldn't die—she didn't hold a grudge against me for that did she? Feeling apprehensive, I climbed in after her.

She smiled and asked, "Remember how I asked you if you would run away from all this with me?"

I nodded slowly, looking into her eyes. Sachi had been afraid of dying. That fear had gotten the better of her after several months in the game. She had run away to this spot which hid her player location from the rest of her guildmates. The only reason I was able to find her was because of my «Tracking» skill, which I had kept hidden from the rest of «Black Cats of the Full Moon» at the time.

Feeling so scared that you wanted to run away from everything. Offering to do so with someone very dear to you—another spike of pain flooded through my head. I had asked someone to run away with me as well, hadn't I? Just before the boss fight on the 75th floor, I had asked _ if she'd be willing to do so. And she had smiled sadly and told me that wasn't what I really wanted; that it wouldn't be possible to do so anyways.

She was someone very important to me, I'm sure of it. So why couldn't I remember her name? I frantically searched through my memories, trying to recall. But as I did so, I realized to my horror that even how she looked was slipping away. I wanted to cry, to break down and howl, but in front of Sachi, I had to put up a strong face. Because she was relying on me.

"That was when I told you that you wouldn't die…"

My face fell. I continued speaking while looking at my feet, "I'm sorry Sachi. I broke that promise to you. I—"

Her hands cupped my face, gently bringing it up so that my eyes met hers. She smiled gently and warmth spread through my body. I felt…content.

"It's alright, Kirito," she said. "Everything's fine now. You're here. I'm here. That's all that matters."

"But—I let you—," I choked. I couldn't get the word "die" out.

"Kirito," she chided me. "I'm going to get mad if you keep saying that. Stop blaming yourself and just be quiet for a bit."

She sidled over next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"This is a story of a girl who was afraid of everything," she began so quietly that I could hear the dripping of water. "The only reason she could step forth into the world was because in her mind, she was more afraid of letting her friends down than anything else. That all changed one day when she met a boy in the field while out with her friends. Unlike her, he was strong. Strong enough to fight alone in a place that their entire group had trouble with. Just being around him made her feel safer and gave her hope that she might live to see the game cleared. And she was truly happy for the first time since coming to this world when he told her that she wouldn't die. Even if the words weren't true. To her, they gave her the strength she needed to continue. And his existence gave her hope for a future. For that, Kirito…thank you."

She ended her musings with a melancholic smile. I couldn't find the words to reply, so I just sat there with her in silence for a long time. After some time had passed, Sachi got up and exited the drain pipe. I stood up to follow.

"Wait here for a while," she requested. "I just need to take care of something."

"I'll come along and help," I offered.

She smiled and replied, "Thank you for offering, but I'll be back in a few moments. You need to rest, Kirito. You've been through a lot."

One thing about being left along: You have plenty of time to think. My mind wandered, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Sachi's return. That fight with the gray-haired boy inside the dungeon… These blurry segments of my memory were troubling; I could feel that they were important, but I couldn't figure out why. I barely noticed when Sachi climbed back inside the pipe.

"I'm back," she said, sounding satisfied.

"Welcome back," I greeted her. "Did you get what you needed to done?"

"I took care of it," she replied. "I thought I heard something, but it was just a rat."

Her words puzzled me, but I left that alone for the time being.

Sachi pushed a few buttons on a menu and continued speaking, "Anyways Kirito, I put the key to the guild house Keita-kun bought in our shared storage. Why don't you head there first? I'll meet you there in a little while."

She exited the pipe again. I hastened to follow her, but by the time I got out, she had already vanished. I checked the shared inventory Sachi and I had created in the days before she had died, the same storage where I had found a final recorded message from her last year. As she had said, a key to a house was inside.

I walked back to the town center, taking my time. Right before I reached the teleportation stone in the plaza, a surprised voice called out to me.

"Kirito-kun?"

That voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place a name to it. I turned around, expecting to see someone I knew.

She wore light armor with a red and white color scheme and carried a rapier at her side. Her egg shaped face was framed by long chestnut hair. From her eyes, I could tell she was relieved to see me. I opened my mouth to respond. I _had _ to say something. This was _. Every fiber of my being told me she was important. Why couldn't I remember her name?

Another spike of pain shot through my head as I tried to recall. With a grimace, I clutched at my head and tried to steady myself on my feet. The girl took a step forwards, concern etched on her face. But as she neared, I felt a growing wave of unease. I took a step back, causing her to frown.

"What's wrong, Kirito-kun?" she asked.

I had to say something. She meant something to me. If nothing else, I knew she was one of those blanks in my memory. Fighting back the pain, I opened my mouth to ask her a question.

* * *

_December 8, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Alkaid_

Asuna was still questioning Kite about his origins and how he could help us. At first, I was amazed at her tenacity, since all he did was groan and growl in response. But then it turned out that Yui was able to translate his speech; she did complain a bit about how hard it was due to the "corrupted" nature of his words. If it wasn't just her embellishing the guy's words, the zombie-like figure could apparently pack a lot into a few short grrs and grrraaas.

"So you're saying that you're able to sense where [AIDA]s are?" Asuna asked. "Can you tell me if there are any nearby?"

"Grrraaaa," he replied. Despite us moving a chair into the room for him, he chose to stand at attention next to the door.

Yui translated, "He says he can get a general location on them. There are currently three signals he can sense right now, but more might be hidden. One feels far away, but he says he's familiar with the presence behind that one. The other two are unknown to him and even further away, but he says one of them is linked to what happened to Oji-chan."

"To what happened to Haseo?" I blurted out. "Does that mean he's become a [Lost One]?"

[Lost One]s referred to players that had fallen into comas after being attacked by [AIDA] or a player under its control.

"Graaa…"

Yui looked at me and said, "Kite-san says he was only made to combat [AIDA] and protect someone named [Aura], so he doesn't know whether Oji-chan is or isn't. But to me, it looks like Oji-chan isn't in a coma. I'd say it's more like a sleep mode for a computer."

"Great," I muttered. "I suppose there isn't an easy way to wake him up?"

"You could try kissing him," Yui suggested innocently. "On the lips."

My face flushed as I completed processing what she had said.

"W-w-what was that?" I stammered.

"It's in all the stories Mama tell me at night," Yui replied. "You know, with princesses in a deep sleep and their prince coming to rescue them. I'm sure Oji-chan won't mind if you give it a try."

I had to steer the conversation away from this topic. It was dangerous and I shouldn't even be thinking along these lines. After all, I still don't know whether he'd choose Atoli or me in the end, or if he was even considering entering such a relationship…wait, what am I thinking? We weren't even talking about relationships. Gah! I tussled my hair in frustration for letting my imagination off the leash.

I glanced over at Haseo. If it could actually work, then—maybe.

_No! Don't you dare think like that again!_ I reprimanded myself. Sitting on the edge of the bed and kicking her feet innocently, Yui was looking at me with interest. Her bright eyes seemed to question why I wasn't following her suggestion already. Before I could say anything, Asuna stood up and walked towards the door.

"Just got a message from Argo-chan," she said. "It's cut off halfway, but it seems like she's found Kirito-kun. I'm going to go check it out."

"The message was cut off?" I asked. "Sounds like she might be in trouble. I'm coming along with you as backup."

I stood up to leave, checking my inventory as I went. Behind me, Kite followed behind, brandishing those odd, black, triple-bladed daggers. Yui leapt to her feet as well, but Asuna stopped her, telling her to stay here for now.

"But I want to go too, Mama," she protested.

Asuna looked like she was going to give in for a moment, but then she steeled herself and said, "Not this time Yui. It could be dangerous in a way that none of us are prepared for. I need you to stay here and let someone know if we don't make it back before dark."

The little AI protested and pouted, but in the end, she sat down obediently. I waved at her as I exited, telling her to watch over her Oji-chan for me while I was gone.

Asuna's expression was grim as she dashed out of the headquarters. She was moving so quickly that I could barely keep up despite our similar stats in-game. On the other hand, Kite seemed to be having no trouble keeping pace, floating along beside me.

"You should probably not do that," I noted, pointing at his feet. "You're going to draw attention if you don't walk or run properly."

He gave a short growl before settling down on his feet without once slowing his pace. The three of us probably would have made for quite the spectacle if we hadn't been moving so fast as to be nothing more than blurs to an observer. Without even a hint of slowing down, Asuna called out the name of her destination the moment she reached the teleportation stone in the city square. I followed her a moment later, slowing out of instinctive fear of crashing headfirst into the stone slab.

I blinked as the light effects of the teleportation activated and I landed at my destination.

"Waaahhh!"

Swerving to the side, I just barely managed to avoid crashing into the teleportation stone on the other end. Of course, this extra motion threw me off balance and I ended up hurtling into a park bench with all the grace of an intoxicated sailor. Disentangling my limbs from the bench, I noticed Kite looking down at me passively. His green eyes seemed to be slightly more alive than previous. Was he…laughing? No, it had to be my imagination.

In the time that I had taken to recover, I had completely lost sight of Asuna. «The Flash» indeed; blink and she would vanish before your very eyes. I opened the "friends" tab of my menu to find her, but the entry immediately above her name reminded me of why I had followed her to this floor to begin with. Asuna could take care of herself, she was a strong girl. I was more worried about what might have happened to Argo. She was a good person at heart despite how often she teased people and if she was in trouble, I wanted to be there to help.

I ran along the cobbled streets of the town, noting how there were no players around. Not that I was surprised. As the clearers progressed and opened new floors, people would naturally gravitate towards the higher floors in order to keep up with their skill growth as well as provide services for others. What this meant was that many of the lower floors were devoid of players nowadays with a few notable exceptions. One was the first floor which was still a bustling city run (or terrorized, some might say) by «The Army».

Argo's friend trace led me into a wide alleyway. At the far end which ended in a high wall, I saw her lying on the ground, her unmistakable cloak spread on the stones.

"Argo-chan!" I called out, running towards her.

Please let her be ok. Please let me not be too late!

I turned her over onto her back. It looked like she was still breathing. Her eyes were open and her mouth moved painstakingly slowly, although no sound came out.

"Hold on a second," I said in an outburst, while fumbling through menus.

Due to how shaky my hands were, it took a few tried before I was able to access the item I wanted, a multi-purpose status healing crystal. I usually carried a small supply of them wherever I went to take care of Haseo's— er, food-poisoning. The crystal glowed brightly as its effect activated before shattering into a cloud of pixels. Argo bolted upright instantly, gasping for air.

"Alkaid-chan, you're a life-saver! I promise I won't ever make fun of you again," she laughed as she gave me a brief hug.

With relief flooding through me, I laughed along with her.

"Don't make promises you know you won't keep," I replied.

"Nihihi, you know me too well," she chuckled. Then, in a more serious tone while glancing around nervously, "Have you seen Ki-bou around? Or a girl with short, dark hair around my age?"

"Ki…bou?" I repeated, momentarily confused. Then I realized that was the nickname she called Kirito by. "No, I haven't seen him or that girl you mentioned. Have you seen Asuna?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew it was a dumb question. I didn't need Argo's look of mock condescension to tell me that.

"Arg! Stop looking at me like that, Argo-chan! I _know_ that the answer should be obvious. It's just that I lost track of her after arriving here and the words just slipped out before I had a chance to think them through. More importantly, what were you doing lying on the ground in some alley? If this wasn't a game, I'd have guessed you got mugged."

All hint of amusement faded from Argo's face. Lowering her voice to almost a whisper, she asked me not to let anyone else know what happened to her because, in her words, "it's embarrassing when someone manages to sneak up on an expert at stealth."

After I swore not to tell, she answered my question, "I had just found out where Ki-bou was and was contacting Asuna from a spot I thought was far enough away to avoid detection, but before I could finish, something caused me to seize up as if I was under the «paralysis» effect. I guess it was lucky that my finger hit the send button when I fell down, since you and Asuna got here so quickly. Otherwise, I would've had to wait until the effect wore off; this place is completely deserted."

"Did you see who or what caused it?" I asked, glancing around the alleyway as if whatever had attacked Argo might still be lurking around. I also noticed that Kite had disappeared somewhere while I was distracted.

Argo shook her head, "I wish I did, but I was facing the wall while I was typing my message out. But you said Asuna-chan was here with you right? We should go find her at once. I need to let her know about Ki-bou and that girl, Sachi."

"Sachi?"

"Long story," she said, hurrying off. "I'll explain later about Ki-bou's old guild."

We found Asuna back at the town center, her back turned towards us as she looked towards the teleportation stone. She made no move to respond as we approached.

"Asuna-chan," Argo said. "I found Ki-bou earlier on this floor, did you run into him at all?"

"Mmm," she replied, sounding rather drained. "He…was here."

"Asuna-chan?" Argo asked, sounding worried. "Are you ok?"

At Argo's question, Asuna «the Flash», possibly the strongest girl I knew both as a swordswoman and an individual, dropped to her knees. Her shoulders heaved as she fought back her tears and failed. For all her outward strength, she was also a teenage girl. Argo and I tried to comfort her, but to no avail. It was disconcerting to see her like this, but it wasn't until much later that the two of us found out just what it was that broke down Asuna's defenses.

* * *

A lot of people were asking about the Azure Knights. Well, now you know why I was evasive about that question. Don't expect Azure Flame Kite to play too large of a role overall outside of this story arc though. He's a bit too two-dimensional as a character for me to feel comfortable using extensively.

As for Kirito, the memory drain he's experiencing is both an effect of [AIDA] and a reference to what is discussed in the Fairy Dance arc of the light novels. That is, the possibility of using Nerve Gear to rewrite/recalibrate someone's personality and thoughts. AIDA!Sachi is actually half-convinced she's the real one at this point, although she's also instinctively aware of things that might pose a danger to her existence.

That's it on notes for now. I might switch over to third-person narrative in the future for some segments. As usual, leave questions, messages, suggestions, comments, criticism, etc. in a review or a PM.


	11. Chapter 11: Black Cat's Crossing, Part 3

Chapter 11: Black Cat's Crossing, Part III

_December 8, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Kirito_

I blinked as the portal closed behind me. Strange… my eyes were watering. For some reason, separating from that girl back in the plaza was painful. A different sort of pain from that which I had felt as she got closer. _That_ pain had been physical, or a virtual representation of physical pain, I suppose. Immediately, I wanted to go back and apologize, but I caught a glimpse of her face through the rapidly disappearing rent in the air that connected the two floors. That look of grief and despair almost crushed me, as if I were feeling what she was. I couldn't return. Not after doing that to her.

_Coward,_ a voice inside my head taunted.

I pushed that voice off into the back of my mind while I took in my surroundings. It wasn't an easy task because my own thoughts ran parallel to what it was telling me.

Snow covered the entire landscape. As I walked to the guild house that Sachi had given me the key for, I paused every now and then to admire the snow-laden forest and the frozen lakes that dotted the countryside. It looked like several people were skating on the ice. The 22nd floor of Aincrad was a beautiful location. I'd been here alongside the other front-liners a long time ago, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd also been here recently.

The house that Keita had bought was a large log cabin, more than big enough to house the six members that had once made up the «Black Cats of the Full Moon». I unlocked the door and walked inside.

The house had the bare minimum amount of furnishings, default furniture that came with the purchase. Most players eventually bought furnishings more to their liking, but this cabin had never actually housed any occupants. The largest room in the house, presumably a dining area, contained a table and two long benches. There were six bedrooms, each equipped with a single bed, a small desk, a wooden chair, and a mirror. I was happy to see that there was a bathroom; that was one luxury in this world that I would have missed having access to.

I checked the time, 6:25 p.m. I suppose that I could get something cooked up before Sachi returned. I don't have the «Cooking» skill, but anyone could make basic meals. With 0 levels in the skill, food might not taste amazing but, as a non-combat skill, it just wasn't worth leveling that particular ability as a front-liner.

The cabin came with a simple kitchen. A cupboard, a wood-burning stove, and a counter to put everything on while you worked. I checked my inventory and tossed a few ingredients onto the counter. A pile of vegetables and assorted meat appeared out of thin air and landed with a plunk on the counter. The ingredients were rank-D and below since I couldn't cook anything of a higher rank than that without a greatly increased risk of burning it up. Even so, it took 3 attempts at a meal before I succeeded in making what I wanted. The first attempt flared up almost immediately after I put it into the pot; impressive considering I was making soup. The second attempt ended up becoming a horrifying, glowing, green pile of…something…which I promptly banished into oblivion with a strike of my sword.

I set the pot down in the middle of the table and sat down on one of the benches in the dining room. Hopefully Sachi would be back soon.

-o-

Three hours passed before Sachi arrived at the cabin. I was just about to go out to find her when the front door opened and she stumbled inside. She looked terrible. I immediately regretted not forcing her to let me go with her.

I was amazed that she could still stand in that condition. She had on a grimace of pain and her eyes kept darting towards the door as if she might have been pursued. Her left arm was missing from the elbow down and her armor looked worn out.

"What happened?" I exclaimed, rushing to her side and placing her arm over my shoulder before she had a chance to collapse. "No, before I ask, we have to take care of your wounds."

I quickly gave her a healing crystal and a status restoration crystal. Her arm reappeared immediately and some color returned to her face, although she was still looking paler than usual.

"Thank you Kirito," she murmured. "I need to rest. Can you—can you stay with me?"

"What happened?" I asked again as I helped her to the closest bedroom.

She just closed her eyes and replied, "Sorry Kirito, I'll tell you another time."

I sat there in the room watching her as her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep. Sometime during the night, with the warmth of the cabin and the dimmed lights surrounding me, I dozed off as well.

Maybe it was because of how hectic my day was, but I woke up well before the alarm I set for myself went off.

Sachi was still asleep. I brushed the hair out of her face and noted that she still looked like she was in pain. Perhaps she had a fever; I should go get some ice from outside to soothe her. As I turned around to leave, she began to mumble in her sleep.

"I need to…Kirito…"

Her words became a little more coherent.

"[The Azure Flame]…I won't let you take him from me."

I walked over to her side to see if she had more to say but she gasped and went silent. Her breathing was coming a bit more ragged than it was before. I'd never really observed anyone sleeping before so I couldn't say it for sure, but it sounded like she was having a nightmare.

What was that about azure flames? Blue flames in this game were generally associated with boss-class monsters, not something that Sachi would ever have encountered. The way she had said those words made it sound like an epithet. If so, where would she have encountered such a monster and why didn't she bring me along to help her?

No, the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. It must have just been a regular nightmare. The Sachi I knew had never even seen a boss-class monster before. But between the condition she was in now and the holes in my memory, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with what was going on…

* * *

_December 9, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Asuna_

Two-story buildings blurred together as I sped down the street following Argo's friend trace. Alkaid shouldn't be too far behind, but I lost sight of her after teleporting to this floor. She'll catch up soon enough, what was important was getting to my friend as quickly as possible.

_This scene…I can—_

As I leapt over the small waterway running through the town, I happened to glance to my left and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. The tail of a black longcoat. Before I could confirm what I saw, it disappeared behind an abandoned red and grey house, heading in the direction I had come from.

_I remember this—Kirito-kun…_

I immediately paused, all thought of reaching Argo slipping out of my mind like water in a sieve. It was too much to be a coincidence. I changed direction and doubled back, pursuing the owner of that black outfit. What was Kirito doing here? He couldn't be looking for Argo, could he? He was going in the wrong direction for that.

Despite my advantage in speed, I just barely managed to catch up to him at the town square. Any later and he probably would have teleported away. That profile from the back was unmistakably Kirito. A long black coat with white trim and two swords sheathed in their scabbards across his back. He was the only player in «Aincrad» that fit that description.

"Kirito-kun?" I found myself asking.

I felt a sense of frustration with myself. I'd been looking for him all day and I was hesitating _now_? Shout his name out. Demand an answer for what he's been up to. Glare at him before laughing and embracing him in relief…

His shocked face as he turned around made me pause in my tracks. He looked into my eyes for a brief moment before covering the left side of his face and grimacing.

Was he hurt? I took a step towards him.

He took a step backwards, his expression even more pained than before.

"What's wrong, Kirito-kun?" I asked, taking another step towards him.

He hesitated, looking from me to the teleportation stone and then back in my direction. Something was clearly troubling him; he had trouble meeting my eyes. Kirito stumbled while walking backwards, tripping over the raised ground that surrounded the teleportation stone.

"Who are you?" he asked, panicking as he scrambled to his feet. "Why do I-gah—feel like I should know?"

I paused in my tracks, my mind grinding to a halt.

_No—don't do this. Say something…_

He couldn't have forgotten. Not after all we've been through already. After all the times we've been together since that fateful meeting on the first floor. He had given me a reason to live on in this world. Kirito and I had made a promise to see this game through to the end together.

_Damn it Asuna! _Say_ something to him already! Anything. Because if you don't…_

After what seemed like a brief moment, Kirito gave me one last questioning look and turned about. I watched as he walked to the center of the square and teleported away, each moment stretching out so that a second seemed like an hour. And still I couldn't move, my mind blank as it tried to process a reality in which Kirito did not recognize me.

Kirito's form faded away into the light, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the empty town.

-o-

"Don't go!" I screamed as I sat up.

It was dark. It took me a few moments to regain my bearings. This was my room in «Grandum». Somehow I had returned without realizing it. To the room I shared with Kirito when we weren't living at our cottage on the 22nd floor.

"A dream?" I muttered.

My face felt damp, moistened by the tears that had flowed during the night. No, that was no mere dream. A nightmare perhaps, but also reality. Memories of what had occurred yesterday. Kirito really was gone and I had let him leave. After all the promises we had made and all that we had been through—I wasn't able to stop him.

I felt like crying again. Even though I knew in my mind that wallowing in grief and misery wouldn't solve anything, it was hard to do anything else. A warm presence next to me gave me pause.

"Mama," Yui murmured in her sleep.

I don't know if it was a conscious motion, but she placed her hand atop mine. I held on to it tightly, as if afraid that she too would slip away.

* * *

_December 9, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Alkaid_

I woke up this morning feeling completely grumpy. Not only did we fail to find Kirito, I was no closer to discovering a way to brining Haseo back. To top things off, Asuna was utterly traumatized by whatever had happened to her on the 27th floor and Kite had disappeared to some unknown corner of «Aincrad». The only good thing that had happened was that Argo was alright. She had stayed the night at the headquarters, sleeping in one of the many spare rooms in the spacious estate.

But that wasn't the reason I was feeling irritable this early. I had woken up with a stiff neck and no feeling in my left arm. The reason being that sometime after I had fallen asleep, I had ended up in a very awkward sleeping position. The fault was mine, to be honest; Haseo was occupying my bed so I couldn't sleep in it. I could have just picked a different room to rest in, but I had wanted to keep him company even if he didn't know I was there. So I had fallen asleep sitting up and leaning on the bed. Whoever had said that posture didn't matter when resting in a virtual world was lying.

I decided to try and work the stiffness out of my joints by making breakfast. Eggs and sausages sounded nice. By the time I was done, Argo had awakened and was waiting for me in the dining room. She looked at the plates I set down on the table hesitantly.

"Is that—safe to eat?" she asked, poking nervously at the scrambled eggs with a fork.

I just stared at her in reply.

"Ok ok, I was just teasing," she said, laughing as she took a bite. "Hey, this isn't half bad."

"Of course," I answered, placing my hands on my hips proudly. "I haven't been leveling my «Cooking» skill for nothing, you know."

We spent the next few minutes eating and just chatting about random things. But the shadow of the last day's events loomed over us and once the plates were empty, we found ourselves musing about what to do.

"Asuna's still not up?" I wondered. "I was hoping she'd be able to tell me a little more about what happened before I head out again."

Argo replied, "She's had a rough experience. I'd say the best thing to do is to give her a little time to herself to sort her feelings out."

I nodded.

"That's all well and good," I noted. "But I'd feel more comfortable knowing someone she trusts was looking after her. Why don't you stay and keep her company? Getting to the bottom of whatever's going on is the only way to solve our problems, but I can't do that staying here."

Argo opened her mouth and then closed it. After what appeared to be a momentary struggle with herself, she answered, "I'm coming with you. You're not going to be able to do this alone. Besides, I owe Ki-bou a little something for putting me through all this trouble."

"What about Asuna?"

"She has Yui-chan with her," Argo said.

I knitted my eyebrows. "Yui-chan's great and all, but I'd rather she had a friend to talk to if she needed it. You think Liz would be willing to close her shop for a day?"

"Can't hurt to ask."

Liz must have broken about five different rules of the world getting here so quickly after I sent my message. She didn't even bother sending a reply to my message.

"Where's Asuna? Is she alright? What about Kirito?"

She blurted out so many questions in the thirty seconds since she burst through the grand double doors of the headquarters that it made my head spin. As usual, she was wearing that frilly red and white outfit and she had apparently rushed out of her shop so quickly that she forgot to unequip that golden hammer of hers. It traced arcs in the air as she made frantic arm motions while questioning Argo and I. I barely avoided being clobbered in the face as I greeted her.

Within five minutes, Argo had filled her in better than I would have been able to do in an hour. Information broker indeed; she really knew how to do her job.

"So you're telling me Kirito's missing, Asuna's probably wrestling with depression, Haseo's been unconscious for a day, and there's some mysterious virus or AI or glitch out there that's wreaking havoc in «Aincrad»?" Lizbeth summarized, counting off on her fingers.

"Pretty much," I replied.

Liz sighed, "You could have at least tried to make it sound more optimistic. Alright, I'll see to Asuna, you two do what you need to but don't get in over your heads."

"You're awfully level-headed in this situation," I noted. Really, I had Liz figured to be more prone to emotional outbursts; maybe it was because most of the time I was with her, Haseo or Kirito were there as well and the two of them enjoyed goading her.

"I guess when a situation looks bad enough, you just have no choice but to accept it," Liz replied.

She waved farewell to us as we walked down the path to the teleportation stone. From her friend trace, Argo pinpointed Kirito's location to the outskirts of a settlement on the 22nd floor.

"Alright, what's the plan?" I asked her as we activated the teleportation stone.

"Plan?" she asked back, "I thought _you_ were the one with a plan. You're the one who's an expert on this [AIDA] thing."

Before I could retort that the only things I knew about [AIDA] was that it probably wasn't friendly and could put us into comas if we were in my world, we found ourselves transported to the 22nd floor.

If the situation at hand had been more normal, I might have taken the time to enjoy the snow covered hills, the frozen lakes, and the forest scenery that surrounded us. Several small cottages lined the landscape and added to the serene atmosphere.

"We need to find a way to get Kirito-kun away from that [AIDA]," I finally said.

Argo glanced at me worriedly and replied, "That's not going to be easy. It's taken on the form of an old guildmate of his. One I'm sure he regrets being unable to protect if his actions last year during Christmas were any indication."

"How about knocking him out and dragging him back?"

"Even if you can find a way around all the safeguards the system has to prevent such actions," Argo answered, "this is _Ki-bou_ we're talking about. No offense because you're really strong, but the only person I know of who might be able to do something like that is Haseo-kun and he's out of commission."

I thought about that for a moment. As much as it pained me to admit it, Argo was right.

"Maybe Kite would be able to—actually never mind, he's already said that his only interest was hunting down the [AIDA]. And I have no way of contacting him," I mused. "Ok, so knocking Kirito out and carrying him back isn't an option."

"Not unless you manage to force-feed him some of your cooking," Argo said.

"I was being serious!"

Argo smirked and replied, "So was I. But I'd say we need another way to separate them."

"Do you think you could keep Kirito-kun busy while I draw the [AIDA] away?" I asked.

"Me? I'd last 10 seconds maximum against him," she scoffed. "Tell you what. _I'll _draw the [AIDA] away while _you_ keep him tied down."

"Aren't we forgetting something?"

"What would that be?"

I nodded at the village, "Their housing is in a safe zone isn't it? We couldn't fight them seriously even if we wanted to. But the [AIDA] is probably under no such restrictions."

"How high is your «Sneaking» skill? Or your «Hiding» skill?"

"I didn't have either of those when I came here," I answered. "But I did start leveling «Hiding». Skill level…225 right now."

"That's probably good enough if we keep our distance. We'll wait for them to leave and enter a zone where we can confront them."

Half an hour later, I was shivering like crazy, hunkered over trying to keep myself warm. Really, who had the bright idea of playing the waiting game when it was 10 degrees below freezing outside?

I looked over towards Argo, hoping that I might have a partner to share my misery with. Instead, I found her sipping what appeared to be hot chocolate out of a thermos bottle. Her cloak was looking very warm to me now and she had found the time to put on mittens when I wasn't looking.

"I take it you've never been on a stakeout before?" she asked with a knowing grin on her face.

I was about to tell her off when she handed me a second thermos. Steam was coming out of the open top and the smell of chocolate coming from within was heavenly. I accepted it gratefully and finished it in less than a minute.

"Ah, that feels so much better," I said, relishing the feeling as warmth spread throughout my body.

"I know right? I always carry around that stuff in the winter," Argo replied. "Oh wait, it looks like someone's leaving the cabin."

She was right. A single person in black had just left by the front door of the house and was quickly moving towards the forest. Even from this distance, it was impossible to mistake Kirito for anyone else. After all, his swords and outfit were rather iconic. Argo and I exchanged glances before hurrying to follow him.

* * *

_December 9, 2024, 55__th__ floor of Aincrad, Lizbeth_

I waved at Argo and Alkaid as they headed off to deal with whatever it was they needed to before sighing deeply and turning back to face the KoB headquarters. Really, this place never ceased to amaze me. I'd only been here a few times before, but the monumental scale of the castle-like base always impressed me. Red banners bearing the emblem of the guild proudly declared that this was a powerful guild. _Was_ in the past tense. Although it was still strong, KoB was no longer the powerhouse it once was. Even with Kirito, Asuna, Haseo, and Alkaid, the sheer number of players that had left for other clearing guilds meant that while they had the strongest players, KoB could not be considered "the strongest" anymore.

Of course, all those players leaving for other guilds had an unexpected effect as well. The headquarters was disturbingly empty at all times. The grand scale of the edifice combined with a distinct lack of inhabitants made me feel as if I were completely alone in this world.

As I walked down the carpeted aisle towards the sleeping quarters, I took the time to admire the amount of craftsmanship in the furnishings. Examining several of the pieces told me that they were player-made. Heathcliff, or Kayaba Akihiko rather, had spared no expense here. For a madman who had trapped 10,000 players in a virtual world, he had good taste in décor.

I decided to stop by Alkaid's room first to see how Haseo was doing. Her room was closer than Asuna's anyway.

As Argo had said, Haseo was currently (not) sleeping atop Alkaid's bed. Despite his monstrous strength in battle, he looked vulnerable while he rested. I sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"You should really stop causing so much trouble for Alkaid-chan," I said to him even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

Really, between Asuna and Alkaid, it seemed like my friends always fell for the ones that caused them the most grief. Even though she never really told me outright, it was easy to guess that Alkaid liked Haseo in that way; the looks she gave him when she thought no one was watching… I was tempted to play matchmaker for them.

"Well, I should get going to see Asuna-chan," I declared after a few more minutes of silence.

I got up to leave. But before that…

A malicious grin spread across my face. As I had noted earlier, Haseo looked vulnerable while he rested. Those blue tattoos on his face gave me an idea. I took out a marker from my inventory. It was used for marking objects in my shop, but it should work for what I had in mind as well. Best of all, the marker's effect lasted for at least 3 days. Payback for all the times that gray-haired menace had teased me.

-o-

"Asuna? Are you there?"

I poked my head into her room as I asked those questions. Asuna was sitting upright on top of her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Yui was there as well, sitting on the chair in the corner of the room. She rushed over and gave me a hug around the waist as soon as she saw me.

"Liz," Asuna replied, her head turning in my direction ever so slowly. "Why are you—"

I glared at her immediately after those words were spoken.

"I heard about what happened from Argo-chan and Alkaid-chan," I admonished her. "If you're in trouble, I'm always here to help. Really…what sort of friend do you take me for? I might not be as strong as Alkaid-chan or as clever as Argo-chan, but you can rely on me if you need someone to talk to, you know."

Without waiting for that dumbfounded expression to leave her face, I walked over and plopped myself down atop the mattress.

"So, forgive me if you've heard this a hundred times today, but are you alright?" I asked, my expression softening to one etched with concern.

"I'm fine," she replied, putting on a brave face.

I responded by glaring at her again. If she was trying to reassure me by blatantly lying, I needed to let her know that I wasn't buying it. Asuna had a bad habit of trying to keep all her problems to herself. Whether that was a result of her time serving as the vice-commander of the «Knights of Blood» or her upbringing in real life (a little of which she shared with me in our conversations,) I couldn't say for sure.

She withered a bit under my stare but held firm to her previous statement.

"I see," I replied coldly. "So Kirito means that little to you…"

Before I knew it, those unreasonable words had left my mouth. The blacksmith Lizbeth was known for her sharp swords and even sharper tongue. My anger and annoyance at Asuna's stubborn refusal to confide in me only fueled that tendency towards harsh speech.

*Smack*

My words hit a sore spot with my best friend. The sound just now was from her slapping me with as much force as she could muster. Of course, in a virtual world and inside a safe-zone, I felt no pain even though the force of the impact forcibly turned my head to the side.

Asuna looked back and forth from me to her hand in disbelief, as if unsure what had just happened.

"Liz, sorry," she murmured before looking down at her knees.

"No, you're not," I replied. "Because I'll never forgive you if you are."

Yui started towards me looking concerned but I stopped her with a wave of my hand and a look that said "leave this to me." What Asuna needed now wasn't consoling. She needed something that would bring her back to her senses. The leader of KoB looked up at me in surprise.

"I'll never forgive you if you apologize so easily when someone questions your feelings for Kirito," I continued unrelentingly. "Even if you're facing hard times, I cannot believe that Asuna «the Flash» has such shallow feelings for Kirito that she would give up after hearing those words. She's just not that sort of person."

My tirade over, I gave my best friend a hug to show that I was there for her. That I was listening. Her shoulders shook and I could tell she was crying even though I couldn't see her face. Out of consideration, I continued looking over her shoulder even as she began to talk.

She shared her perspective on what had happened, not glossing over her fears and concerns. And as she talked, I could tell that she was slowly returning to the Asuna I knew. The strong and determined girl who had risen to a leadership position in what was once the strongest clearing guild in «Aincrad». The girl that Kirito had fallen in love with.

There was a long pause after she finished. I gave her a few more moments after that to dry her face before I answered her. After she had poured her feelings out, I felt that I had to return the favor. There was something that I had to tell her in return. Something that I had feared might strain our relationship and that she might consider a betrayal of that trust she had in me. But the current situation gave me the courage to admit it to her.

"I said some really harsh things to you Asuna," I began. "But I don't regret saying them. I meant each and every word. I really wouldn't have forgiven you if you were ready to give up on Kirito. Part of it is because I know how happy being with him makes you. But another reason is –"

I swallowed hard and looked down at my clasped hands.

"Another reason is because I like him too."

There, the words were out. Unable to be taken back or reconsidered. If she hated me for it, I'd have to deal with it as best I could.

"Not just as a friend," I continued. "He's more important to me than that."

I chanced a look at Asuna's face. I had no reason to doubt that she'd be angry with me or at the least, a little hurt. But she surprised me. She had a warm smile on her face. Everything I had feared did not come to pass.

"That explains it," she answered me softly. "Your concern for me—for us, I should say. The reason why you were so angry then. I thought you were just being cruel at first. I—didn't know. Thank you Liz, for telling me and for everything else."

Relief flooded through me. My best friend didn't hate me. I wanted to laugh at myself for being so stupid. Instead, I felt myself returning her smile.

"It's great that you understand, but don't think that I've completely given up on him," I retorted, planting my fists on my hips. "If you ever show this kind of weakness again, I won't hesitate to steal him from you, mark my words."

Asuna stared at me incredulously for a few seconds before bursting out giggling.

"Alright, considering myself warned," she replied, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "But I'll never give him up to anyone else, not even you Liz. Not now, not ever. So you'll have a long time to wait."

And with those words, Asuna «the Flash» picked herself up off her bed and accessed her equipment menu. Seconds later, she was dressed in her red and white battle armor, «Lambent Light» hanging at her side. Determination once again shined in her face.

"Well then Liz, Yui-chan, I'm off," she declared.

* * *

*notes- There'll probably be 2 more chapters in this arc just based on how much I still need to get done to wrap up the plot. Not much going on in terms of action this time around since events in this chapter needed to happen first, but the next two chapters should make up for that.

I've been writing in side-characters a lot lately, it seems. But it's fun in its own way and I enjoy being able to try to develop them more. Speaking of which, Liz's crush on Kirito is now known to Asuna. As for why I had Asuna be ok with it, I suppose it's just my interpretation of her character. First of all, she's absolutely certain of the bond she and Kirito possess and secondly, in I feel that she would try and be mature about it based on what her personality in canon is like.

Alright, that's it for comments this time around. Feel free to put any questions, comments, criticisms, etc. in a review and I'll try and get back to you with as much information as I'm willing to give without giving any spoilers.


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